After the success of Jupiter Links’ overtime win over Boston Common, TGL was brought back down to earth with a much more underwhelming match involving Rory McIlroy’s side on Tuesday.
Los Angeles secured a comfortable 6-2 victory in the SoFi Center to consolidate their spot at the top of the TGL standings. The team of Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood and Collin Morikawa did not lose a single point during the alternate shot format.
If week four showed the league’s potential, week five perhaps reminded everyone how the format remains a work in progress.
Not only was the match itself quite flat, but there was also an issue with the simulator at one stage, with Fleetwood seeing a shot on the second hole not register properly.
TGL may have a ‘massive’ problem
The Englishman had just under 170 yards to the green. And despite seemingly hitting a normal shot, Fleetwood’s ball seemed to go almost nowhere, leaving everyone in the SoFi Center baffled.
He was allowed to re-hit the shot. However, there were plenty of concerns expressed on social media, with analyst Rick Gehman describing the incident as a ‘nightmare’.
Elsewhere, one fan said: ‘They HAVE to change simulators. The league has no chance with an inaccurate simulator‘. Another wrote: ‘Wrong sim used‘.
One fan noted the damage the problem could do to the league’s credibility, writing: ‘Massive problem if betting is involved… people will want their money back!‘ And they were not alone in highlighting just how important it is that these issues do not pop up during the games themselves.
Meanwhile, another responded to the claim that Trackman was now needed, stating: ‘It just stinks bc we all know this. Tiger’s partnership with Full Swing is the main issue. I think they will just have to improve.’
What Rory McIlroy has previously said about the TGL simulator
Anyone who has ever played golf where a simulator is involved would know that there was always the potential for issues to emerge in TGL. And it has mostly given fans little reason to doubt its reliability.
Rory McIlroy admitted having concerns about the simulator, but insisted that the numbers matched up with the equipment that he uses ahead of his TGL debut last month.
Unfortunately, given that so much faith has to be put into the simulator, it does not take an awful lot for some fans to lose that. And it would be terrible for TGL if a shot did not register at a crucial moment in the season.
It is difficult to know what the league can do to silence its doubters when there is irrefutable proof that the simulator does not always pick up the ball correctly.
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