World No.5 Ludvig Aberg starred in helping his The Bay GC side trash New York GC in the first ever TGL Match.
In the glitzy SoFi Center in Florida, the first ever live televised shot was struck into the indoor arena's giant screen in what turned out to be a solid but perhaps unspectacular start for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's new indoor golf league, with both watching on from inside the building.
Shane Lowry was the man to hit the first drive, right after he went back to his bag to get the tee he forgot, as he, Wyndham Clark and Aberg went on to lead the NY side of Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Rickie Fowler 6-1 after the 3v3 foursomes.
The foursomes opener, contested over nine holes, featured a 32-foot putt holed by Ludvig Aberg, who also made a 10-footer on the 1st, as well as the first ever use of 'The Hammer' - which was a flag thrown in by The Bay GC side - that doubles the points on offer on the current hole.
The final score ended 9-2 after Aberg, Lowry and Clark all won points in their six-hole singles match-ups, with Fowler winning NY's second point of the night after taking the 13th hole against Lowry.
Shown on ESPN in the US on primetime, the match featured 1,500 fans inside the arena as well as 40-second shot clocks, mic'd-up players, co-owner Tiger Woods in the booth and cameos from the golf-loving DJ Khaled.
Tuesday's TGL opener was a total contrast to the previous night's practice game between the sides, according to Wyndham Clark, who said that New York were leading them 3-0 after just six holes.
"I thought it would be a little more of a match, I have to be honest. They were beating us so bad last night when we first started," he said.
Lowry, who admitted to nerves ahead of the opening tee shot, then joked that Clark would make The Bay the 'most hated' team, with Clark replying: "That's my plan."
"Last night in the simulation we were down 6-0 after like three holes. We threw a bunch of hammers and they made putts and we didn't know what we were doing, and I think as we learned how to play this, and it is a game, it's not necessarily pure golf, there's a little bit more game and trick to it, and I feel like we got really comfortable with it," Clark continued.
"I will say we had a lot of fun. I feel like no one had more fun out there than us. We were laughing.
"The stuff we were saying in the locker room and to each other is a lot of fun. It's fun being up here with these guys. We're excited to be a part of this."
"I think it was amazing to be a part of," Ludvig Aberg said.
"I think it's the future of golf, and it's really cool to be a part of. I said it earlier before today, I'm always so jealous of basketball and football guys that they get to do this so much more than we do. It's cool playing in a stadium. The crowd gets going a little bit more. The energy is different from a regular golf tournament. But it's so much fun and gets you going a little bit more, I think."
TGL returns on Tuesday again next week where Collin Morikawa's Los Angeles GC side will face Tiger Woods' Jupiter Links GC. View the full TGL schedule.
Watch ESPN's highlights of the opening TGL match:
