Motor City wins its WTGL debut 8-3 as Tiger Woods says he's training

Motor City Golf Club wins its WTGL debut 8-3 over Los Angeles on Tuesday night, the league's first match on ION. Tiger Woods says he is "training quite a bit" and will be at the Hero World Challenge, and Jon Rahm tells Dubai reporters to stop blaming LIV for his majors.

Platforms

Lexi Thompson, Jeeno Thitikul and Ronni Yin beat Michelle Wie West, Aki Iwai and Kiara Romero 8-3 at SoFi Center, SB Nation reports. Four hammers were thrown, and Motor City won both of the ones that were won, each during Triples. Los Angeles falls to 1-1.

Tuesday's telecast is the first TGL or WTGL broadcast off an ESPN network, with the same presentation and graphics, David Rumsey notes. Sunday's opener averaged 97,000 viewers on ESPN and peaked at 138,000 against a full NFL slate and the NASCAR finale (Palm Beach Post via Yahoo, Josh Carpenter). Blades Brown's playoff finish at the WWT averaged 110,000 on Golf Channel in the same window.

Build & Gear

L.A.B. Golf releases the MEZZ.2i, the first MEZZ update in more than four years. It is a milled 6061 aluminum fang mid-mallet with a 303 stainless steel insert and two ways to pick up the ball. Stock models cost $499 and custom starts at $599. It is on labgolf.com now and reaches retail partners Nov. 17 (Golfweek, The Golf Wire).

For anyone pricing a first bay, MyGolfSpy posts a guide on building an in-home sim for about $1,000.

Courses & Play

The DP World Tour season ends Nov. 12-15 at the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, par 72 and 7,706 yards (Golfing Gazette). Fifty players chase a $10 million purse with no cut. Eugenio Chacarra leads the Race to Dubai by 533.93 points over Rory McIlroy, who is chasing a record-tying eighth title, and nine players can still win it, the tour says.

Creators

The Internet Invitational reaches its final day. Big John comes through again to send his team on (ForePlay), and Ryan Whitney's squad gets there through a sudden-death playoff against Jake Adams (Internet Invitational, ForePlay). Good Good's road series reaches Day 44 in New Mexico.

Swing Lab

McIlroy says he favors "anything and everything" to curb distance, ball and club, and calls himself "the poster child" after driving a couple of greens last week (ASAP Sports transcript). Rahm would rather see courses designed against distance, Golf Australia reports.

4golfonline posts a tee drill for the takeaway.

The Game

"I'm feeling better, no doubt about that," Woods tells SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio. "I've been training quite a bit. I will be at Hero." He adds that he is there "either way," since he hosts it. The Hero starts Dec. 3 with three of 20 spots open, and ESPN's sources expect him in Jupiter Links' TGL opener Dec. 27 barring a setback (ESPN, CBS Sports).

"We've got to stop blaming LIV for me playing poorly at the majors," Rahm says. He blames "golf swing problems" instead (Golf Digest, GOLF.com). His Abu Dhabi win moves him to No. 6 in the Race to Dubai.

Coming up and why it matters

• Thursday, Nov. 12-15: the DP World Tour Championship decides the Race to Dubai. McIlroy and Chacarra go off together at 3:40 a.m. Eastern Thursday.
• Nov. 12-15: the Austin Championship, the seventh of eight FedExCup Fall events, and the LPGA's The ANNIKA at Pelican.
• Monday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m. Eastern: Motor City plays Boston Common at SoFi Center, per the club's schedule.
• Nov. 17: the MEZZ.2i reaches retail partners.