Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf finally won its first TGL match at the outset of the league’s second season, beating Los Angeles Golf Club 7-5 on Friday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
McIlroy is a co-founder of the indoor golf simulation league along with Tiger Woods, but the Northern Irishman’s team went winless in five matches in 2025 and missed the playoffs along with Woods’ Jupiter Links GC.
McIlroy won three points for his side Friday against Los Angeles before newcomer Michael Thorbjornsen beat Sahith Theegala twice in singles, sinking a 17-foot putt to win the par-3 12th hole and converting an eagle putt of almost 16 feet at the final hole, the par-5 15th.
Thorbjornsen, a 24-year-old who hails from Massachusetts, joined Boston as a designated alternate because team members Hideki Matsuyama of Japan and Adam Scott of Australia could not be in Florida for the early-season match. Thorbjornsen played alongside McIlroy and Keegan Bradley against Theegala, Collin Morikawa and England’s Justin Rose.
As for McIlroy, he won two points for Boston at the par-4 eighth hole when he drained a 10 1/2-foot birdie putt after his team had “thrown the hammer” to double the hole’s point value. He came through again by birdieing the par-5 10th while playing singles against Rose — whom he beat in a playoff at the Masters last spring to complete the career Grand Slam.
In the post-match interview, McIlroy told ESPN his experience getting the league off the ground had been “absolutely incredible.”
“I just think the buy-in from the players, the buy-in from the owners, everyone that’s been involved. … It went from an idea to a better idea to we launched last year, we thought it went great, but I really do think this is gonna go from strength to strength.
“And as you said, it is nice to be on a team that finally gets their first win.”
