Tiger Woods and Tom Kim on Tuesday during TGL play.
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Tiger? Tiger? Has anyone seen Tiger Woods?
It was a couple ticks past 7 Tuesday night, and the man of the hour, the man whose career was built on a swing so dialed in he could seemingly set his shiny Rolex to it, was … late. Woods was supposed to be on the ESPN pre-match show for TGL, the simulator-based league he helped co-found. Supposed to be. For a few seconds, host Scott Van Pelt was alone on viewers’ screens, and, while SVP is one of the best, the folks tuned in for Tiger, and not a talking head.
Finally, there he came.
He even lightly jogged over, which was something in its own right, considering the concerns over mostly every instrument needed in the style of movement.
“There we go,” Van Pelt said. “Hey, Tiger! It’s your old buddy, Scott.”
“What’s up, SVP? Jesus. Sorry,” Woods said. “I was getting some water real quick.”
Fair enough. Be sure to hydrate, kids. But really, it was also water under the bridge, as everyone picked up something from the moment. They play team golf in TGL, and Woods’ bunch, the Jupiter Links Golf Club, had already been eliminated from postseason consideration before Tuesday’s matchup with the Atlanta Drive Golf Club — which raised at least one question:
What would a playing-for-nothing-but-pride 15-time major winner look like? Inside a dome in South Florida, no less, a concept still only two months old?
Well, seemingly tee times were but a suggestion. It was OK to be late on national TV.
Here’s how the rest of the night went.
‘One fifty six. ONE FIFTY SIX’
That’s what Max Homa, one of Woods’ teammates, said to Woods ahead of his night’s first shot. It was the yardage. It was a reminder.
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A few weeks ago during TGL play, Woods hit a tee shot 294 yards on a 481-yard par-4, he asked his caddie, longtime Woods confidante Rob McNamara, for a yardage, and McNamara said, “99.” You may know where this is going. In such cases, caddies typically drop the ‘1,’ as it’s a given if you just look ahead. But Woods took it as 99 yards, grabbed a wedge, dumped it short, and hilarity ensued. Teammates laughed. ESPN announcers laughed. You laughed.
And Homa didn’t forget.
Tuesday, you could poke at Woods.
‘You’re weird’
Before the match, Woods hit shots out of a bunker as teammate Tom Kim looked on before asking a question, with the ESPN mics picking up the back and forth.
“So when you draw it, do you just take it inside and swing right?”
“I do,” Woods said. “And I released it earlier.”
He tried to demonstrate. “Trying to get my right hand released by coming into my right leg.”
Kim laughed.
“You’re weird,” he said.
Tuesday, you could laugh at Woods.
‘Chicken fingers?’
Attending the match was Woods’ teenage son, Charlie, and dad had a question during a break. “Chicken fingers?” His son was indeed eating them. Dad then had an order.
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“Gimme one.”
There was a pause.
“Just throw me one.”
“Throw. Me. One.”
“Throw. Me. One.”
Tuesday, you could see Tiger likes his poultry. (Sorry.)
‘Gimme the 5-wood’
On the 577-yard, par-5 5th hole, Woods was left with a 260-yard shot to the hole. Would he lay up? Water fronted the green. Would he go for it? He’s maybe lost some pop.
Kim suggested a layup. Woods agreed. Kim handed him an iron. Woods then called timeout. He stepped away from the ball.
‘Gimme the 5-wood,” he said. He got the 5-wood. He said he wanted a look. He kept the club.
With a faster-looking move to the ball and a recoiled finish, Woods found the green.
“How about that?” he shouted.
Tuesday, you could see the 49-year-old still had some gas in the tank.
‘What year were you born?’
ESPN mics picked up this exchange between Woods and Kim.
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Said Woods: “What year were you born?”
Said Kim: “’02. Did you win that year?”
Said Woods: “I’d won three Masters by the time you were born.”
Said Kim: “You had three?”
Said Woods: “’97, ’01, ’02.”
Tuesday, you could see the 49-year-old flex.
‘Oh, man, it was just so special’
Woods’ teenage daughter, Sam, recently won a Florida state soccer championship, and ESPN announcer Matt Barrie wondered about her dad’s thoughts.
“Oh, man, it was just so special to watch her play,” Woods said. “And the core group of girls that have been together since they were basically 6 or 7. And the fact that they won a state title and go out on top, just absolutely incredible.”
Tuesday, you could see a dad’s pride.
‘Did that really just happen?’
Seconds later came the viral moment of the night. Kim chipped from just off the green, and as his ball neared the hole, he turned away and tossed his club in the air, thinking it was in the hole.
It wasn’t. It rimmed out.
Woods then asked the question at least a few others did:
“Did that really just happen?”
The jokes continued for a while. About an hour or so later, Woods’ team lost, 9-1, and afterward, a reporter asked Woods if he had any celebration tips for Kim.
Said Kim before Woods could answer: “Whoa, whoa, whoa. I get it, OK. I’ll wait next time. Gosh. Literally I will be too scared to walk anything in now.”
Said Homa: “I’ll remind you of that in a year and a half at the Presidents Cup when you’re running around the green.”
