Monday Leaderboard: Tiger Woods returns to golf… sort of

Welcome to the Monday Leaderboard, where we break down the weekend’s biggest stories in the wonderful world of golf. Grab an Arnold Palmer, pull up a chair and get ready for the Return of the King.

Tiger Woods returns to golf… sort of

Last week’s debut of TGL, the tech-infused indoor golf league co-created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, was a ratings success… and that’s even without the Man in Red and Black on the course. Woods now steps to the tee for his first round of TGL, taking on renowned Californian Justin Rose and the rest of the Los Angeles Golf Club. Whether you find TGL ridiculous or sublime, there’s something nice about seeing Woods swinging a club again, even if only indoors. You know the competitive fire is still burning, even if the back and knees don’t allow for much more than weekday rounds.

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

Nick Taylor triumphs over astronomical odds

Standing on the 18th hole on Sunday afternoon, Nick Taylor had a 0.4 percent (in other words, 1 in 250) chance of winning the tournament. And yet (spoiler) he did, thanks to a spectacular stretch of golf capped by this 55-foot chip-in-eagle on the par-5 18th:

That chip tied him with Nico Echavarria at 16 under, forcing a play-off that Taylor would win on the second hole. Even more unlikely is that this is Taylor’s third win in the last three years… and all three have made the playoffs. That’s a level of icy cool that few players on Tour can match. If Taylor can start playing better during the week when there are no playoffs (yet), he might be able to make some more noise. But for now, he’ll console himself with another nice trophy (see below).

Not so happy: JJ Spaun and Stephan Jaeger, who seemed to be dueling for the title until they suddenly jumped around the track together. They combined for one (1) birdie over the final 10 combined holes, allowing Taylor and Echavarria to slide right by. Difficult game.

Memory of Grayson Murray

A year ago, Grayson Murray won the 2024 Sony Open for his first victory in seven years. Four months later Murray died; his parents later confirmed that Murray had died by 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 beautiful tribute that everyone involved wished wasn’t necessary.

A cautionary tale from LIV Golf

LIV Golf has been around long enough that we can distinguish peaks and valleys… and Eugenio Chacarra has fallen from the former to the latter. Chacarra was one of LIV’s big talents, a hugely talented amateur who left Oklahoma State early to join the upstart tour in 2022. He made a ton 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” – the top 24 players in the league – and the Fireballs cut him loose.

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

Bryson DeChambeau treats his fans well

It took Bryson DeChambeau weeks to hit a hole-in-one above his house. It took a fan five swings. DeChambeau remains the overwhelming favorite among golf fans right now, and stunts like this are why:

In golf, not everything has to be religiously solemn. Sometimes it’s just about swinging hard and seeing what happens.

Trophy of the week: the Sony Open

New piece here at ML, in which the characteristic new trophy on Tour is examined every week. This time the Sony Open brings us a modified golden surfboard. Combine it with a slate and you have a nice piece of hardware.

Mulligan of the Week: A classic John Daly piece

Thanks to PGA Tour Champions social media for resurfacing this classic: John Daly hitting monstrously long field goals during a Denver Broncos practice. Was it 50 meters? Maybe, maybe not, but it was much longer than any other professional could kick. Except maybe DeChambeau.

Living a life like John Daly isn’t necessarily recommended, but it would lead you to some interesting places, that’s for sure.

Swing away and roll ’em through this week, friends, and we’ll see you back here next Monday!