What is ‘The Hammer’ in TGL? Tiger Woods’ unique golfing rule explained

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Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s innovative new golf tournament got underway this week, and one of TGL’s most exciting new rules, the Hammer, has already been put into play.

The opening night of TGL got things off to a strong start, with the new format bringing golf indoors with the use of a huge virtual screen and an array of creative rules to spice up the classic sport.

Formed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy as part of their TMRW venture with Mike McCarley, TGL pits PGA Tour professionals against one another in a team format, taking place at the SoFi Centre in Florida.

Golfers were sceptical about TGL initially, but after the opening night, it would seem fans are on board with the new competition.

But, it’s a game that can take some getting used to, especially with all the unique rules and tactical tools, so The Golfing Gazette is here to break down what one of the most interesting features — the Hammer — actually means.

• READ MORE: Tiger Woods completes amazing challenge at TGL on first attempt before opening night even gets underway

The Hammer rule explained

If you’re going to be following the TGL schedule over the next 11 weeks or so, you’ll have to get to grips with the rules, and one gameplay tool players can use is ‘The Hammer’.

In short, the Hammer allows a team to add one point to the value of any given hole during a TGL event. But, players will need to be shrewd with how they utilise this potential advantage.

Players may wish to throw down the Hammer if they hit a great tee shot and feel they have a good chance of winning said hole. However, their opponent must accept that challenge before it comes into play.

If the opponent refuses, they forfeit the hole and the player who initiated the Hammer gets the single point for the hole rather than gambling for more points. But, if they accept, the double score is up for grabs for both sides, and as we know in golf, anything can happen on the green.

There’s a twist, though: if the Hammer is thrown down before the tee shot, the opponents must accept the challenge.

The Hammer begins the match with one team (decided by a coin toss), and possession of the tool will change hands each time it has been used.

The fun part is, the Hammer can actually be used multiple times on a hole. So, while one team may push for the advantage at the start of a hole, their opponent may then increase the prize pot if they feel they have put themselves in a better position later in the play.

• READ MORE: Max Homa has changed his mind about TGL ahead of opening night as he sends message to fans attending

The Bay Golf Club used The Hammer at inaugural TGL event

Anyone watching the opening night of TGL will have seen the Hammer used, thanks to the winners on the night, Wyndham Clark and his Bay Golf Club team, who triumphed over NYGC with a 9-2 victory.

First, with Clark facing a birdie putt on hole 3, the captain threw down the gauntlet to his opponent and ended up sinking the putt to take his team from a 1-0 advantage to a 3-0 lead.

Then, with NYGC down 6-0 already by the 7th hole, Shane Lowry of NYGC was preparing his tee shot, when his teammate, Xander Schauffele, dropped the Hammer to pile the pressure on his colleague and his opponents at the same time.

Unfortunately, on that occasion, the Hammer didn’t make much of a difference, with a par score on the 7th leaving a share of the points.

That was the final time the Hammer was deployed on opening night. Now, we will have to wait for the next match on January 14, when Collin Morikawa’s LA Golf Club take on Tiger’s Jupiter Links team, to see how much of an impact the Hammer can have.