Following on from TGL's first ever match between New York GC and The Bay GC, it was the turn of the big guns, as the League's main star, Tiger Woods, arrived at the SoFi Center.
The arena was packed with recognizable faces, as the likes of Serena Williams and US Soccer star, Alex Morgan made an appearance. What's more, with Kevin Kisner and Max Homa, two of the game's best trash talkers in Woods' corner, it was set to be an exciting watch.
However, aside from the golf, which was a 12-1 drubbing in favor of Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala and Justin Rose for LAGC, it's safe to say the overall evening had its ups-and-downs.
To begin with, I acknowledge that the TGL is only in its second competitive week and, overall, the set-up and broadcast for something that hasn't been done before is truly impressive. As a result, there were moments when I really enjoyed the coverage on show. But, whilst watching, the slight qualm for me was that I don't think the TGL knows its identity yet.
Littered with big names, it's obvious that the players have enjoyed the first two weeks of play, more on that later, with one particular positive being the addition of a shot clock, which some individuals have even claimed could, and should, be used in professional events.
However, there's no denying that the opening two games have been 9-2 and 12-1 shut outs, meaning that the drama and tension hasn't been there for the viewer. If that changes, plus the shot clock aspect, that could well be a deciding factor in the matter.
Certainly, in the first week, players opened up, and showed their personalities more, as the contest went on and, during LAGC and Jupiter Links GC's match, it was clear that having the characters of Homa and Kisner made it a feel-good and humorous watch. However, if the scores had been 6-6 going down to the 15th and final hole, would the serious and competitive nature of these athletes have taken over?
There's no harm in either the competitive aspect or the fun, light-hearted trash talking being shown but, because of the one-sided matches, so far, it's hard to tell, right now, if TGL is going to fall on the serious or the light-hearted side.
For our British readers, this analogy will make sense but, for whatever reason, the TGL reminds me of the days when I used to play 5-aside football. Within the league you would often have the teams who didn't possess the best quality, but you know would bring the entertainment, whilst other sides would be littered with the best players, but wouldn't be the biggest personalities.
Again, there's nothing wrong with this and, in a real-world golf environment on an actual golf course, it would be incredibly fun to watch and to have that mix. But, in a world of simulator golf, the slight worry is that dominant performances and hitting into the screen could become slightly stale. Obviously, this is something to monitor as the weeks and months draw on but, for now, the simulator golf aspect of the TGL has worked... Kind of.
My other criticism, which was also picked up by social media during the matchday two broadcast, was the fact that so many players look bemused at the shots they were playing, particularly Tiger!
The 15-time Major winner is regarded as one of the best distance control players golf has ever seen, especially in terms of wedges, with Tiger possessing the ability to stop his ball on a sixpence. However, during his debut match, I've never seen so many shots airmail the green.
Playing the second hole, his approach from 100 yards went long by 20 and, following that, he went 15 yards past the flag on a shot from 55. At one point, you could even hear Tiger utter the words "I don't know how it went that far."
Obviously one of the big selling points of TGL is the simulator aspect and, as is the case with technology, it can be temperamental, but the fact that all the players were struggling with distances suggests that it may have been the simulator that was having an off-night.
Again, I will give TGL the benefit of the doubt as it is only two matches old but, if these issues aren't ironed out, there's no denying that it could soon put viewers and fans off.
Overall, the potential is there and, as seen by the hilarious moment involving Kevin Kisner blading his bunker shot into the flag, which was seen by millions on social media, the '15-second highlight reel' is always going to be there.
For TGL to really discover its identity, though, it needs to have its first competitive match. Once the players are in a tightly contested affair, it will show and gauge where the League really sits in terms of the golfing landscape.
