It took some time, but TGL's finally showing its full potential

Monday night's TGL match between Tiger Woods' Jupiter Links and Rory McIlroy's Boston Common Golf Club was precisely what everyone with a vested interest in the league needed to see.

The showdown featuring the two biggest stars on the league's roster delivered on all fronts, displaying TGL's full potential while allowing the players, team owners, sponsors, and everyone else who's invested a boatload of money into this start-up league (there are a lot of them) to breathe a giant sigh of relief.

Missed Monday night's action? You aren't alone. In fact, there's a chance you've yet to tune into a single match.

The indoor simulator golf league consisting of six teams and 24 players is only four weeks old. It's still brand-new and still has its issues as a result. But Monday's match was exactly what Tiger and Co. envisioned for their latest venture.

Woods' Jupiter Links won in the tightest match of the four played thus far. They defeated Boston Common Golf Club in overtime - a three-on-three closest-to-the-pin competition - while providing entertaining moments throughout the battle.

Tom Kim brought his Presidents Cup antics indoors, egging the crowd on after making important putts to help his team pull off the upset. Kevin Kisner - who made highlights for all the wrong reasons in Week 2 - also entertained viewers with witty remarks and contributed a few clutch shots of his own.

Woods took a back seat to his teammates in the entertainment department, which probably doesn't bother him; he isn't a showman and would much rather let his game do the talking. He was heard loud and clear as his team defeated McIlroy's side as huge underdogs.

But TGL can't run superstars out there every week, and not every match will go to overtime. The first three weeks of TGL's inaugural season proved this, as they lacked star power (Woods and McIlroy combined for one appearance) and the three matchups weren't close.

Opening night was a hit, but mainly for non-golf-related reasons. It was exciting to witness a new format and see the SoFi Center, especially after TGL's start date was delayed a year because the original structure it intended to play in collapsed. Over 900,000 viewers tuned in to see what it was all about, and not many of those spectators would have been overly concerned that the match wasn't competitive.

Woods made his debut in Week 2 in a savvy move by organizers to let curiosity drive first-week ratings and then bring in the big guns. Over 1 million people watched the 15-time major winner play simulator golf in the middle of January.

Despite the strong ratings, the results in Weeks 1 and 2 were practically decided halfway through the broadcast. From a golf standpoint, you couldn't have drawn up two worse opening matches.

Televising match play is a big risk. Blowouts can be boring and feel like they drag on. TGL matches are already shortened to 15 holes from the traditional 18, but after the first two weeks, critics questioned if 15 was still too many.

Once the initial curiosity had waned and Woods' team wasn't scheduled to play, Week 3 ratings took a major plunge. The biggest name of the six golfers participating in the third match was Justin Thomas, who doesn't exactly move the needle among casual golf fans. Ratings dropped 32% from Week 2 and doubters were left wondering if TGL had any hope of long-term success.

But in hindsight, judging TGL based on three matches was completely unfair. If you did that in any of the other major sports and were stuck watching, for example, three midweek NBA blowouts, you'd probably think there were competition concerns in basketball. Perhaps TGL just got unlucky with three lopsided contests and Monday's tilt will turn out to be closer to the norm.

While there's no way of knowing how the rest of this season will play out, there's already plenty to learn from the first month of TGL action.

First, the shot clock is essential and makes it hard to look away (take notes, PGA TOUR). Second, buy-in from the players is a requirement, and we've seen it from a handful already. Kim, Kisner, and Billy Horschel - not exactly the stars of the league - brought great energy to their matches, helping elevate the product. Not every player is as eccentric as those three, but viewers need to feel as though these golfers care when they're competing.

Finally, TGL can be successful if it's treated as what it is: a supplementary product in professional golf that isn't trying to replicate the standard 72-hole model. It's a fantastic Monday or Tuesday evening viewing experience for those who have time to watch, and if you miss a hole or two, or even a full match, it's not the end of the world.

There's certainly room for improvement. The technology can become more accurate and the format can be tweaked to try to enhance the competition. But if Monday night's match taught us anything, it's to have patience.

It took four weeks for TGL to live up to its potential and deliver its first thrilling match. It might take a lot longer to work out all the kinks. But when TGL does, the league no one knew they wanted will become a staple in golf fans' weekly schedules.