Any early progress report on the TGL experiment was incomplete until a truly competitive match manifested. And perhaps the fact that viewers had to wait until the fourth week of action for do-or-die shots to be traded is a problem to reverse-engineer against in the future. But that would be focusing on the wispy clouds obscuring a bright star that announced its arrival Monday night as Jupiter Links’s Tom Kim took the stage with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and stole all the attention with clutch putt after clutch putt and made-for-television antics perfectly suited for a new era of golf.
Still only 22 and in his third full season on the PGA Tour, the South Korean is one of the more exciting young players on the circuit with an already impressive résumé that includes three victories and a runner-up finish at the 2023 British Open. Despite this, he is not a household name. Certainly not like the two TGL founders but also not on par with Adam Scott or Keegan Bradley. Yet anyone tuning in to ESPN for Jupiter's dramatic overtime triumph over Boston Common would have to conclude that he’s not only one of the best players in the world, but also one of the most entertaining.
Kim cupped his hand to his ear after steely makes. He almost notched the first TGL hole in one in singles competition. He biffed a bunker shot on the 15th and final regulation hole only to come oh-so-close to holing out for the win, then rolled about on the synthetic grass like someone just having fun out there.
Perhaps none of this matters. Perhaps Kim’s coming-out party will be quickly forgotten and the enduring memory will be that the match cut into a college basketball game. Indoor golf on speed may ultimately prove to be a brief dalliance and curio that the public rubbernecked at for one winter before losing interest. Yet that feels antithetical to everything we know about sports.
It always matters to be the best, most compelling athlete on the field of play. It matters even more when the endeavor has been built to highlight personalities and introduce and elevate new faces with the general public. Kim felt as though he was built for this. Like it was a healthier conduit for what team golf inspires in him.
His success speaks to the hope that all participating players should be holding onto. Yes, the golf they play with the sun beating on their necks will probably always matter more. TGL, though, could offer an entirely new canvas on which to create a legacy. Among his competitors on Monday night, Kim was the least cluttered of those canvases. It may be the first time many viewers ever watched him play. It’d be hard to create a more effective sales pitch for new fans—or for elite golfers who may have qualms about tackling a new and unfamiliar challenge.
Monday night was the first real look at the ceiling for this endeavor and, as predicted, it will go as high as the competition carries it. There’s always room for growth and revising projections yet it’s helpful to try to categorize what this is right now in the current sporting climate. It is not the NFL or NBA or even MLB. It is not akin to a major championship or Ryder Cup. And it may never get there.
Yet it has tapped into that inventive, mixed media feel of meaning everything while meaning nothing at all. When Kim played to the crowd one could see hints of Pete Weber asking a modest crowd who they think they are. It all feels slightly rough around all of the high-tech edges as everyone tries to figure it out on the fly.
For now maybe the best comparison is what the NBA Slam Dunk Contest used to feel like. Or the Pro Bowl. As other leagues have struggled to stay relevant while mixing a showcase with competition, TGL has hit the ground running with what feels like the right mix. A major reason other sports have fallen off during their showcase weekends is that the best athletes aren’t participating. That's not the case in the golf world and at this point it feels more likely that their is a talent influx, not drain as golfers seem to genuinely enjoy their in-arena experience.
McIlroy, Woods and every other stakeholder in TGL have to be pleased with where it stands four weeks in. The short journey has not been without hiccups, yet the newness has given way to bonafide athletic competition. Glimpses of what this can be have cropped up somewhat regularly and increased stakes as the playoff chase intensifies should help. The progress report feels a bit more complete now and it includes hard data that on any given night someone can be a national television star.
Kim went out on Monday night and seized the moment for all it was worth with skill and style to spare.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as TGL May Have Found Its Breakout Star.
