A new golf era will dawn in Palm Springs, Florida on Tuesday when Shane Lowry of The Bay Golf Club will hit the first ball of the inaugural season of the Tomorrow Golf League (TGL).
Instead of having a swirling wind around his legs and a glaring sun in his eyes, however, the Irishman will be indoors, striking his driver into a giant screen in the latest attempt at innovation in the game, which has been pioneered by superstars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
The new format of matches will pitch three-man teams against each other over 15 simulated holes with a physical putting area present inside the SoFi Center to see who can gain the all-important points.
A point is available on every hole, although one team holds The Hammer, which can be applied to double the rewards on offer.
They play the first nine holes in triples, with each player hitting alternate shots, while the final six holes of the contest are played as singles. There will be no ties as dramatic closest-to-the-pin contests will be held to decide which team triumphs.
The first match pits Lowry and his two Bay colleagues, Wyndham Clark and Ludvig Aberg, against the trio of Xander Schauffele, Matthew Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler, who will play as New York Golf Club.
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New York is a slight favorite for the match, which is due to start at 9 PM ET.
The TGL is a bold initiative and has attracted the participation of some of the PGA Tour's leading lights, who have become involved this week rather than electing to play in the second tournament of the year at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Xander Schauffele's presence in the New York team probably goes a long way towards explaining why they have been chalked up for the inaugural contest in the competition as the man who won the PGA Championship and The Open in 2024 is the highest-ranked player on show.
It is difficult to make a firm selection due to the novelty of the contest and star performers in the format will no doubt emerge over the next couple of months as familiarity increases for fans and the players involved.
But the opening clash looks to be one between the long hitters of The Bay line-up and the short-game prowess that looks a strength for the New York trio.
Even though the course has three holes fewer than the customary golf course, there are still five par-fives for players to navigate - shots will be taken from boxed areas in the arena which will have fairway, rough and sand surfaces.
That could play into the hands of The Bay as the most straightforward aspect of the game appears to come off the tee, where they can push home the length advantage they possess according to the statistics from their most recent PGA Tour assignments.
The difficulty at this stage is that we just don't know how things are going to go and where the potential pitfalls lie as teams attempt to gain those vital points.
So it makes sense to tread carefully from a betting perspective and take in the novelty of the event as much as possible, but those looking for an interest are pointed towards The Bay.
Just as punters are in the dark as to who will be suited to the new format, pricing the contest up is a bit of a mystery to a certain degree and that means taking the short price about New York making a winning start could be a risky strategy.
The value would appear to lie in backing The Bay, particularly as Lowry's good humor could prove to be an asset.
There is a bit more in their price too, so supporting him, Clark and Aberg to come out on top looks the preferable course of action in the opening match of this novel event.
New York Golf Club | -125 |
The Bay Golf Club | +100 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal at any time