\n<\/p>\n
The biggest success of the opening session was the 40-second shot clock that helped keep the pace of the match high. Rarely did the players let it drop under 15 seconds. If they did, a heartbeat sound that quickened as the timer edged closer to zero echoed around the arena.<\/p>\n
And while play actually felt unnecessarily rushed at times, nobody fell foul of the penalty stroke for allowing the clock to expire.<\/p>\n
The opening nine holes of the 15-hole match featured all three players on each team hitting alternate shots. Tee shots were thudded into the big screen from a distance of 35 yards with the action switching to the short-game complex once the ball was within 50 yards of the hole. After each hole, the short-game area was rotated and a new green created by the 600 motors below its surface.<\/p>\n
The scoring is simple. Win a hole, win a point. <\/p>\n
The New York smiles had largely disappeared by the sixth hole as The Bay raced into a 6-0 lead in the alternate shot triples.<\/p>\n
New York finally got on the scoreboard when the previously misfiring Fitzpatrick knocked a 70ft chip to gimme range on the ninth.<\/p>\n
The final six holes were played as head-to-head singles, with each pairing contesting two holes. <\/p>\n
Fowler took on Lowry, Fitzpatrick faced Wyndham Clark and Schauffele played Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, with the commentator’s attempt to stoke a Ryder Cup rivalry falling flat.<\/p>\n
The match was over as a contest after the 10th hole. Lowry beat Fowler to put The Bay 7-1 ahead with four to play, but Clark seemed oblivious until told by his playing partners. The remaining holes were played though, given winning holes count in the event of a tie in the league.<\/p>\n
“I’m going to be the Scottie Scheffler of indoor golf,” laughed Lowry, who seemed the player most at ease. Karma caught up with him on the 13th as he mis-hit a bunker shot. “A bit like me, a bit chunky,” he laughed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n