Rory McIlroy missed a crucial putt on his TGL debut as he came up against Tiger Woods and co (Image: ESPN)
Tiger Woods couldn’t resist poking fun at Rory McIlroy after he missed an easy putt on his TGL debut, that reminded him of his horror collapse at the US Open last year.
The TGL co-founders faced off for the first time as Jupiter Links Golf Club took on Boston Common Golf at SoFi Center as the latter enjoyed its debut in the event.
It was a big night for the founders, but McIlroy squandered a golden opportunity to grab an early lead for his side. On the very first hole, McIlroy’s team threw down the hamme, meaning that two points up for grabs instead of the usual one.
However, McIlroy’s putt narrowly missed the hole, leading to Woods cheekily waving the hammer around the green. No points were awarded due to McIlroy’s miss, leaving him looking up the sky in disbelief.
The Northern Irish golfer admitted to feeling nervous after his first tee shot, saying: “Heart was pumping a little bit, legs were a little bit shaky,”
Last season, McIlroy endured heartbreak as his hopes of winning another major were crushed in Pinehurst, North Carolina. He was just five holes away from clinching his first major since August 2014 at the US Open, but ended up one stroke behind winner Bryson DeChambeau.
Despite having a two-stroke lead with five holes left, McIlroy bogeyed three of his last four holes. The most crushing blow came on the 18th hole, where McIlroy narrowly missed a par putt and was left anxiously awaiting DeChambeau’s finish.
Ultimately, DeChambeau edged ahead by a single stroke, rendering McIlroy’s missed putt the decisive moment in the major.
Cameras captured McIlroy watching on from the clubhouse, with his reaction saying everything. Within 10 minutes, McIlroy had departed the complex, declining to speak with the media, and later announced a break from golf.
“Firstly, I’d like to congratulate Bryson,” McIlroy said in a statement. “He is a worthy champion and exactly what professional golf needs right now. I think we can all agree on that. But, as I always try to do, I’ll look at the positives of the week that far outweigh the negatives.
“As I said at the start of the tournament, I feel closer to winning my next major championship than I ever have. The one word that I would describe my career as is resilient. I’ve shown resilience over and over again in the last 17 years and I will again.”
McIlroy was in much better spirits after his missed putt at the TGL, that came just moments after speaking highly of his business partner, co-founder, and close friend, Tiger.
“They always say never meet your heroes and that quite frankly is nowhere near the truth,” McIlroy said. “When I met Tiger back when I was 15 or 16, to coming through in the pro game, to calling him a friend, a business partner, a colleague. He’s always been amazing to me, amazing to my family all the way through. I had unbelievably high expectations of who he was growing up and he lived up to them so it’s really cool to be a part of this with him.
“Any chance you get to go up against him, we played the final round in the Masters in 2015, final group in 2018 in the Tour Championship which he won. I feel like I didn’t put up as much of a fight as I should have there so hopefully tonight is a way to get one back.”
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