Matt Fitzpatrick issues apology after crowd jeer his first ever TGL shot

Matt Fitzpatrick was left apologising to his New York Golf Club team-mates Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele (Image: Getty Images)

Matt Fitzpatrick was left apologising to his New York Golf Club team-mates Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele after a wayward opening shot in the inaugural TGL match.

The highly-anticipated game took place at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a state-of-the-art venue specifically designed to host the new indoor league, which was founded by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods in partnership with the PGA Tour.

The unique format sees golf's biggest stars take shots into a simulator before putting on a green in front of a live audience. The pressure was palpable as Fitzpatrick, a former US Open champion, stepped up to take New York's second shot, but he miscued his effort, sending the ball careening to the left.

The crowd's jeers and mocking were met with laughter from the Englishman, who quipped, "I'm just warming up," (Image: Getty Images)

The crowd's jeers and mocking were met with laughter from the Englishman, who quipped, "I'm just warming up," as he made his way back to his team-mates. "Sorry about that," he added, trying to make light of the situation.

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Unfortunately for New York, it set the tone for the rest of the match, as their opponents, The Bay Golf Club, comprising Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark, and Shane Lowry, stormed to a 6-0 lead. Golf enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting the launch of TGL.

The formation of TGL was announced in August 2022 by McIlroy, Woods, and sports executive Mike McCarley, with construction of the SoFi Center commencing in February 2023 for a 2024 start. However, the league's debut was postponed until 2025 after a storm damaged the arena during its construction.

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Numerous sports celebrities, including Steph Curry, Shaquille O'Neal, Josh Allen, Lewis Hamilton, Kevin Durant, Shohei Ohtani, and Serena Williams, have invested in TGL.

Some of the PGA Tour's top players, such as Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Patrick Cantlay, Max Homa, and Tommy Fleetwood, have agreed to participate in TGL.

However, Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth, as well as anyone from LIV Golf, are not involved. "The first thing I would like to have people know is it's golf, but it's reimagined, sort of trying to take golf into the 21st century," McIlroy explained.

"We have teams, obviously there's a lot of technology involved, trying to bring it into the digital era. A lot of things that we've taken from other sports like a shot-clock, a timeout, things that you don't see in regular golf."

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McIlroy himself won't be playing until his team, Boston Common Golf, faces off against Tiger Woods and Jupiter Links Golf Club on Monday, January 27. Woods is scheduled to make his debut when his team competes against Los Angeles Golf Club on Tuesday, January 14.