ONTO A PAR-5

We’re onto the 602-yard Bonnie Link next. No prizes for guessing the kind of layout we have here. 

Adam Scott is first to go for Boston and there’s no drama as he finds the fairway. Now it’s Kevin Kisner for Jupiter, who lets one fly too.

ALL SQUARE AT THE FIRST

With 208 yards to the hole, Boston Common’s Adam Scott immediately shakes his head. It’s not happy as it drifts left of the green, but it’s safe enough from the hole’s… lava. Yes, really!

How will Kevin Kisner respond for Jupiter Links? Not great, in truth, as it lacks the distance. He’s fallen short of the green. 

A nice chip from Boston Common’s Keegan Bradley then lands not too far from the hole, before Tom Kim – who could really bring some fun to this format – recovers similarly for Jupiter Links. Both teams have a putt for par. 

Tiger’s first up with seven feet to go… with the clock counting down (he’s allowed 40 seconds) he misses! Now Boston Common throw the Hammer (which doubles the points total – they sense blood early).

Can Rory finish the job? He can’t either! We’re 0-0 after the first hole.

UP AND RUNNING!

“Boys, play well,” encourages Rory as he prepares to get things underway. Its a confident start from the four-time Major winner as he comfortably finds the fairway.

Next up, it’s Tiger. That’s decent too. 

We’re up and running with the fourth week of TGL!

HOLE INFO

TGL has 30 custom-designed holes, but only 15 can be used any given week. This week, the action will get underway at ‘Flex’, a 516-yard par-4 hole, with – almost inevitably – Woods and McIlroy getting things underway for their respective teams. The evening concludes at the par-5 Pin Oak. We should be underway within a few minutes…

THE STORY SO FAR…

This week’s dust-up between Woods’ Jupiter Links and McIlroy’s Boston Common is arguably the biggest fixture of the season inaugural season. Could this be the week TGL really takes off after a steady if perhaps unspectacular start? That subdued opening is partly down to the yawning gaps in the scorelines so far.

The Bay beat New York 9-2 in the first match, with Jupiter Links then on the end of a 12-1 pasting against Los Angeles the week after. Last week was closer, but Atlanta Drive still ran out 4-0 winners over New York. Let’s hope for a tighter contest here.

QUICK RECAP OF THE FORMAT…

The teams are out – here’s a quick recap of the format. The action will play out over 15 holes. the opening nine holes will see each team compete in an alternate shot format before they face an opponent over two holes through the remaining six holes of singles.

Woods and McIlroy will be the first two to tee it up for their respective teams.

THE LINE-UPS…

We’re going to be getting started shortly, but here’s a reminder of the line-ups…

BOSTON COMMON SET FOR GLORY?

The odds suggest a Boston Common win, and it’s perhaps not hard to see why. 

While Jupiter Links’ line-up can’t be dismissed, it’d surely take a brave person to back them rather than Boston Common Golf tonight. 

One look at the current world rankings tells its own story. Rory McIlroy is third, Keegan Bradley is up to 11th and Adam Scott is 21st having been outside the world’s top 50 just six months ago. In contrast, Jupiter’s Kisner is 846th, Woods is 1164th and only Kim is 24th, still three spots lower than Boston Golf’s lowest-ranked player.

BOSTON COMMON HEAVILY FAVOURED

The odds are out for the match and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common are fancied to win. Jupiter Links are +175 against Boston Common’s -225.

GOOD EVENING ALL

Hello all, and welcome to Golf Monthly’s live coverage of the fourth TGL match, this week between Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links GC and Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf. 

The appearance of those two huge names alone is enough to make this week’s contest arguably the most anticipated of the season so far. I’ll be covering the action throughout the evening as it happens, and it’s due to begin in the next half an hour or so.