BIG SWING

CAN A HIGH-TECH MAKEOVER TURN GOLF INTO A FAST-PACED ARENA-FILLING SPECTACLE? TGL'S BIG-NAME INVESTORS SURE HOPE SO

- BY ANDREW ZALESKI PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROSE MARIE CROMWELL

INSIDE A CAVERNOUS arena in Palm Beach Gardens on a chilly-for-Florida Tuesday night in January, about 1,500 of us pile into our seats. We all know why we're here. Governor Ron DeSantis, flanked by a chiseled-chinned bodyguard, knows. DJ Khaled, with his luxuriantly coiffed beard on full display, knows. Serena Williams, the women’s tennis icon and widely regarded GOAT of the sport, also knows. Alexis Ohanian, her husband, cofounder of Reddit, and this evening’s Sonny Crockett cosplayer thanks to his white sport coat, knows as well. So does showrunner and streaming hitmaker Shonda Rhimes. So does world champion soccer player Alex Morgan. So does every single ticket holder, some of whom spent close to $1,000 just to get through the doors. Celebrities and civilians, all eagerly anticipating the arrival of the man of the evening.

First we see the smoke, a billowing cloud of red that engulfs him from head to toe, a picture we’re watching on two large high-definition monitors at the front of the arena. Then the opening chords of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger” kick in as the smoke clears, and we see him in the flesh. It’s Tiger Woods, striding down a tunnel and into the arena, sporting a boyish grin and his signature red polo. When Woods spots his teenage son, Charlie, in the stands, he delivers an emphatic high five punctuated by a full belly laugh, walks onto the field of play, and acknowledges the crowd, pointing both index fingers skyward. A deafening roar floods the air.