In first TGL match since his mother’s passing, Tiger Woods did not look like himself

As Tiger Woods drove to the SoFi Center for Tuesday night’s TGL match, he could not help but get emotional. The last time he was there, his mother, Kultida, was in attendance, watching her son play.

She passed away seven days later, which led Woods to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational at Torrey Pines the following week. At the time of his withdrawal, Woods said that he needed more time to process his mother’s passing. He was having a difficult time on Tuesday night too.

“I had a really hard time getting here and then reliving all the moments that we’ve had, my mom, how excited she was to have Charlie drive her here,” Woods said after the match.

“So those are some great moments and great memories. It’s been a hard process.”

Woods looked like he had not touched a club in weeks. He had some massive misses and found multiple penalty areas. He missed a short putt and left a bunker shot in the sand. But the moment of the match came on the 13th hole, where Woods had an eye-opening mental gaffe. He faced 199 yards for his second shot but thought he had only 99 yards left, leading to a hilarious albeit awkward moment for the 15-time major winner.

“That was one of the most embarrassing things to ever happen,” Woods said.

“I can’t believe that just happened.”

Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Rickie Fowler led New York Golf Club to a 10-to-3 victory over Woods, Kevin Kisner, and Tom Kim in the ninth match of TGL’s inaugural season. Despite the lopsided score, the win gave New York its first of the year.

“Definitely something we needed after the first two matches, having not won very many holes at all,” Fowler said.

“That was what we were hoping for, and it was nice to see it all come together.”

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.