TGL Superlatives
TGL Week 7 Superlatives: Tony Finau’s dance moves, Kevin Kisner’s shank blues and TGL’s plans for the future
Carmen Mandato/TGL
Welcome to Tomorrow Golf League TODAY. Each week from now until the end of TGL’s inaugural season, we will meet here to recap the physical, virtual and physical-virtual action from the world’s most-hyped professional simulator golf league. But this isn’t any old play-by-play. No, no. That requires too much writing. Instead, we will break down the week’s winners and losers via the most scientific form of analysis known to humanity: Superlatives.
The white flag is out. There’s only one lap to go until the TGL playoffs begin. Who’s in? Who’s out? Who nearly shanked it to Boca Raton? We have all those answers and more in the latest installment of TGL Superlatives. The shot clock starts now …
This Week’s Matches
Los Angeles Golf Club 5, New York Golf Club 4 (OT)
Atlanta Drive G.C. 6, Boston Common Golf 3
The Bay Golf Club 6, Jupiter Links G.C. 3
Best Substitue Teacher – My name is Tony Finau, but you can call me Mr. T
Shoutout to Min Woo Lee, whose short-game was absolutely dialed on Tuesday, but we have to give it up for Tony Finau. The guy fathered his sixth kid a couple of weeks ago, showed up at the SoFi Center on a one-day contract to fill in for LAGC and proceeded to lead the Beverly Hills bombers to a playoff-clinching win. One of the big selling points of TGL is to watch the world’s best golfers let their hair down a bit, and Finau got the memo, busting out some dance moves on the first tee. More importantly, he played rock solid golf (well, simulator golf), punctuating his performance with a huge 10-foot birdie putt on the 13th hole with the Hammer down to score two points for L.A. TGL has had a bigger learning curve than many expected, but Finau looked right at home and will be a leading candidate to land on a squad in 2026.
NYPD Blues – Los Angeles spoils New York’s incredible putting performance
Through much of TGL’s debut season, putting has been by far the most important discipline. Unfortunately for the boys in blue, that trend didn’t hold on Monday. The New York Putting Department logged a record-setting performance on the greens, draining putts of 38, 36 and 16 feet to build a 3-0 lead heading into singles. But LAGC stormed back and, despite making 83 percent of their putts inside 10 feet and a whopping 67 percent of their putts over 30 feet, New York Golf Club eventually lost 5-4 in OT. Thanks to TGL’s hockey-style scoring system (OT losses are still worth a point), New York still controls their playoff destiny, but they’ll hope Monday night was a fluke when they take on bottom-feeding Ballfrogs next week.
Splash Bros. – The Bay swishes TGL's first three-pointer
We suppose it was fitting that Andre Iguodala—a former teammate of all-time NBA three-point leader Steph Curry—walked The Bay out on Tuesday night. Nine holes later, the other Splash Bros. cashed TGL’s first three-pointer, winning the par-5 15th after first accepting a Hammer from Jupiter Links and then having one of their own accepted. We’ll let you do the math on that, but the bottom line is that TGL, after last week’s Hammer overhaul, has tres now. Buckle up.
"The Line Drive Section" – Anywhere down range of Kevin Kisner
Way back in the ancient age of 2018, Patrick Reed, seated with his wife and sister-in-law at a Boston Red Sox game, tweeted at the PGA Tour, “Thank you @pgatour for the tickets to the @RedSox game tonight. I love how you put my wife, sister-in-law and myself in the line drive section. We paid $650 to upgrade and ended up with everyone else on the PGA Tour. #shocker” Despite Reed’s complaints, his traumatic summer evening at Fenway Park night pales in comparison to being anywhere near the SoFi Center with Kevin Kisner at the dish.
On Tuesday, Kisner shanked his tee shot on the par-3 5th dead right, adding another head-hunting hosel rocket to his TGL highlight reel. During Jupiter Links’ first-ever TGL match, Kisner skulled a bunker shot that smacked the flagstick like one of Lars Ulrich’s snares. Through tears of laughter, Tiger Woods said he didn’t think anyone would “get hit out here,” but Kiz is certainly testing that theory. For the health and safety of everyone involved, perhaps it would be best if Kiz joined Matt Barrie in the booth next season.
One of Us! – Shane Lowry out past 9 p.m.
Tony Finau deserves a mention for trying to learn the Hammer rules on the fly just like all of us at home, but nothing was as relatable as Shane Lowry when asked how he was doing early in Tuesday night’s match. “I’m good,” he replied, his voice cracking a bit. “It’s late, but I’m here.” If that isn’t the motto of every 37-year-old past 9 p.m. on a school night, longing for nothing more than sweatpants and 'Jeopardy!" re-runs, we don’t know what is.
It Ain’t Easy Being Green – Boston Common remain winless
Boston Globe
With one week remaining in the TGL season, Boston Common Golf remain the only winless team in the league, plucking another defeat laws from the jaws of victory on Monday. With a squad featuring World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, two Masters champs in Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama, and certified match-play maniac Keegan Bradley, Big Green seem to have all the pieces in place to at least be respectable. Instead, they’ve posted a big ol’ ostrich egg, even losing their Week 4 showdown against World No. 868 Kevin Kisner and Jupiter Links, who have won just 6 holes all season (three of against BCG). Needless to say, the Patriots aren't the only Boston franchise n desperate need of an early draft pick this spring.
Rest the Starters – The playoff "race"
The aberrative nature of sports struck TGL hard this week. With Atlanta Drive G.C. winning and Jupiter Links G.C. and Boston Common both losing, much of the dust surrounding next week’s regular season finale has already settled. Three of four playoff teams—Los Angeles Golf Club, The Bay Golf Club, and Atlanta Drive G.C.—have already clinched.
Technically the three remaining teams are still alive, but neither Jupiter Links nor Boston Common control their fates. Jupiter Links will need to beat Atlanta and hope Boston Common can pick up their first win of the season against New York. Boston Common will need to beat New York by at least five and have Jupiter Links lose. Not only does that make TGL’s climactic week feel a bit anti-climatic, it also means Tiger and Rory, the league’s co-founders and biggest stars, will be likely be watching the playoffs from home. Of all the things to go right for TGL during its inaugural season, this is not one of them.
Where We’re Going, We Don’t Need Roads Cart Paths – Arthur Blank sounds off on TGL’s future
As TGL’s largely successful first season enters its homestretch, it’s fair to wonder what the league’s next move is. Does it hit, hoping to build off of solid ratings and steadily improving fan sentiment, or does it stay, consolidating its position for another year? We learned more in one minute with Arthur Blank on Monday than we have all season, as the Atlanta Drive G.C. patriarch discussed franchise expansion, new formats and even the introduction of LPGA pros with ESPN’s Marty Smith. We doubt all of this will happen in time for the league’s sophomore season, but Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons and 2018 MLS Cup winners Atlanta United FC, knows a thing or two about building brands. If he’s publicly revealing TGL’s road map, it’s because he means to, and we’ll certainly be along for the ride.