Home Sports Monday Leaderboard: Tiger Woods returns to golf … sort of

Monday Leaderboard: Tiger Woods returns to golf … sort of

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Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at TGL debut. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods at TGL debut. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we look back at the weekend’s top stories from the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair, and get ready for the Return of the King.

Last week’s debut of TGL, the technology-enabled indoor golf league co-created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, was a ratings hit…and that’s even without the Man in Red and Black on the course. Woods now takes to the tee for his opening round of TGL, facing California standout Justin Rose and the rest of the Los Angeles Golf Club. Whether you think TGL is ridiculous or sublime, there’s something fun about seeing Woods swinging a club again, even if it’s just indoors. You know the competitive fire still burns, even if your back and knees don’t allow for much more than midweek rounds.

Here’s the lineup for Tuesday night’s matchup:

When he stood on the 18th hole Sunday afternoon, Nick Taylor had a 0.4 percent chance (in other words, 1 in 250) of winning the tournament. And yet (spoiler) he did it, thanks to a spectacular stretch of golf capped by this 59-foot chip-in eagle on the par-5 18th:

That chip tied him with Nico Echavarría at 16 under par, forcing a playoff that Taylor would win on the second hole. Even more unlikely, this is Taylor’s third win in the last three years…and all three came in the playoffs. That’s a level of cool that few players on Tour can match. If Taylor can start playing better during the week when there are no playoffs (yet), he could make more noise. For now, however, he’ll console himself with another sweet trophy (see below).

Not so happy: JJ Spaun and Stephan Jaeger, who seemed to be fighting for the title until they suddenly hit the court together. They combined for one (1) birdie in the last 10 holes combined, allowing Taylor and Echavarría to get by them. Hard game.

(Bruno Rouby / Yahoo Sports)

(Bruno Rouby / Yahoo Sports)

A year ago, Grayson Murray won the 2024 Sony Open, his first victory in seven years. Four months later, Murray died; His parents later confirmed that Murray had committed suicide. This weekend at the Sony Open, friends, family and competitors remembered Murray, and the tournament presented his parents with the “check” Murray left last year:

It was a nice tribute that everyone involved wishes wasn’t necessary.

LIV Golf has been around long enough that we can begin to discern peaks and valleys… and Eugenio Chacarra has fallen from first to second. Chacarra was one of LIV’s early greats, a hugely talented amateur who left Oklahoma State early to join the upstart tour in 2022. He made a lot of money and even won a tournament, playing for Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs. But he also finished this season outside of LIV’s “lock zone” (top 24 players in the league) and was released by the Fireballs.

Speaking to the Flushing It podcast, Chacarra lamented what has become of his career, complaining that LIV didn’t show much attention to his development. Additionally, LIV’s limited re-entry options (there was exactly one spot available this year) and the mandatory one-year layoff from the PGA Tour for playing at LIV mean Chacarra is in golf limbo for now. Yes, he has a lot of money at 24 years old… but what’s next for him?

It took Bryson DeChambeau weeks to get a hole-in-one over his house. One fan needed five hits. DeChambeau remains a big favorite among golf fans right now, and tricks like this are why:

Not everything has to be solemn in golf. Sometimes it’s just a matter of swinging hard and seeing what happens.

Nick Taylor poses with his trophy after winning the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Nick Taylor poses with his trophy after winning the Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Something new here on ML, looking at each week’s new signature trophy on the Tour. This time, the Sony Open brings us a modified golden surfboard. Pair it with a necklace and you’ve got a great piece of hardware.

Credit to PGA Tour Champions social media for resurrecting this classic: John Daly making monstrously long field goals at a Denver Broncos practice. Was it 50 yards? Maybe, maybe not, but it was much longer than any other professional could endure. Except maybe DeChambeau.

Living life like John Daly isn’t exactly advisable, per se, but it will take you to some interesting places, that’s for sure.

Friends, go out and make them happen this week, and we’ll see you here next Monday!

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