3 Things That Went Wrong With Tiger Woods’s TGL During Debut Match, Explored

What did the world think of the 1st match of TGL? There is no doubt that the contest between The Bay Golf Club & New York Golf Club was one of the most anticipated golf events of 2025. Fans had been waiting for Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy’s TGL to kick off forever. Finally getting to experience the indoor golf simulation event left the fans in awe. Not only that, even the pro golfers playing the event were enjoying themselves. This is not only a positive sign for Woods & McIlroy but also an attractive prospect for the community, as TGL has been a hit and fans can’t wait to see more of it.

However, there were still a few criticisms that Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy’s project received. Insiders shared their views about the format of TGL and the entire setup after the event had concluded. Let’s look at some of the eye-catching things they had to say.

The Hammer getting overused

The concept of the Hammer is pretty unique in the world of golf and TGL has nearly nailed its implementation. Watching Xander Schauffele trying to throw the Hammer for every shot was extremely entertaining. However, it was clearly overused which doesn’t work well when there is money involved in the competition.

That’s what Smylie Kaufman had to say on his YouTube channel in a podcast a few days ago. Joined by his co-host, Charlie Hulme, the duo were on The Smylie Show to give a review of the 1st match of TGL and share what they felt about Schauffele trying to use the hammer often. That’s when Kaufman said, “It’s a shame, there should be unlimited Hammers,” joking about how the Hammer shouldn’t have been confiscated from Xander Schauffele.

To this, Hulme replied “That was the strongest complaint on social media. You’re 100% correct,” confirming that even the fans wanted to see the Hammer getting used often. However, the 1x PGA Tour winner then stated that unlimited hammers would get things out of control making TGL look more like a gameshow than a sports event.

Confirmed seat fillers

Fans watching TGL remotely were amazed to see the attendance at the arena at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Nearly every seat was filled and the crowd was enjoying themselves watching the 1st round from the venue.

However, not everyone had paid for the tickets to enter the arena for the first match. No, we’re not talking about athletes and influencers who were invited by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. There was a controversy a few weeks ago where the TGL team was rumored to be looking for seat fillers for the 1st match of the league. A spokesperson from the tournament denied those speculations and all the tickets were purchased by the fans.

However, another insider revealed that TGL did in fact hire actors to participate in the event for the 1st round. In fact, the person who exposed the details was also a spokesperson for TGL, Adam Freifeld. He provided details of the “seat-filler” arrangement. However, as the story gained attention, TGL reps stepped in again to deflect the statement as they said that they did hire paid actors to visualize the event before it happened. There were no actual actors seated in the arena during the live match.

Lack of competitiveness

TGL’s 1st round was fun, entertaining, and exciting. Everyone, from the fans to the players was laughing and enjoying themselves during the entire contest. The atmosphere in the arena was quite energetic and delightful for everyone. But perhaps it was just a bit too much of all of that.

At least that is what Frankie Borrelli thought as he reviewed the 1st round of TGL for the Fore Play Podcast Plus YouTube channel. Speaking to his fellow hosts, Borrelli said that the format of TGL is just too different for it to be a competitive league. He criticized the constant use of music, fake cheering, and booing as he said, “They need to make the shots feel a little bit more meaningful. Because this is a league that needs to be sustainable year after year,”  before stating that this doesn’t feel like natural sports.

Borrelli also shared an example of how “Tiger Woods vs. Rory McIlroy” will be a lot more intense in silence. The Fore Play Podcast Plus host believes that the natural reaction of the crowd after either of the greats hits an excellent shot will be a lot more meaningful. He stated that “all night it was like a game show,” suggesting that TGL is going a bit too far away from competitive golf. The host also Hammered Matt Fitzpatrick for his funny reaction after hitting a bad shot when his team was losing. He thinks that TGL “doesn’t need be this huge charade or circus,” as he expects players to take it seriously just like they would do in PGA Tour or DP World Tour event.

These were some of the biggest criticisms TGL received after the end of the 1st round. However, there were some other issues that caught the spotlight, like DJ Khaled’s appearance getting a lot of heat from the fans.

But, do you think that Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy should make some changes to TGL after receiving such feedback? Do you think the change TGL is bringing, is actually a welcomed surprise to golf? Share your views in the comments section.