‘All Manufactured at This Point’: Golf Analysts Raise Red Flags Over WTGL Tech After Rose Zhang’s Viral Clip

Two-time LPGA Tour champion Rose Zhang was among the early investors in TGL’s The Bay Golf Club. She was captivated by the idea of blending technology with golf to offer fans an entirely new tournament experience. So, when WTGL was announced, she admitted that joining the league was a no-brainer. However, the very technology that initially drew her to the concept has now raised some concerns.

“I think it’s just an open secret. The technology is really bad,” Fried Egg Golf contributor Joseph LaMagna told Brendan Porath on The Shotgun Start podcast. “I won’t say really bad. I will say flawed. I know it’s complicated, apparently. Based on—you’ve got to track the ball in the air to the M. I’ve heard the explanation multiple times, but I’m sorry. It’s clearly off.

“I just saw in the match notes that said Rose hit the… first tee shot in WTGL history … [and she] hit 301 yards on Cut the Sails.”

LaMagna is referring to Sunday’s inaugural WTGL match between New York Golf Club and Los Angeles Golf Club. Zhang, of course, joined New York alongside teammates Linn Grant and Lydia Ko to face Los Angeles’ Alison Lee, Gaby Lopez, and Michelle Wie West. During the women’s team event, Zhang was given the opportunity to hit the first tee shot in WTGL history.

Her opening drive traveled 301 yards, finding the fairway on the 337-yard par-4 first hole at the SoFi Center in Florida. A clip of the shot shared on X by ESPN went viral, collecting one million views. However, LaMagna believes the Full Swing simulator used during the event may have inflated the distance, making the shot appear more impressive.

“I don’t know that much about Rose Zhang’s… how far does she hit a tee shot [in a neutral setting], but the LPGA site says her average for the year was 258,” he explained. “Now, if that includes a bunch of shots that she’s not hitting driver, I don’t know what Zhang’s stock driver is, I know it’s not 301. So I was thinking maybe the reason they did that was to give them a downhiller on the first one, just to be able to put that…”

Porath, content head of Fried Egg Golf, finished LaMagna’s sentence, adding, “And then they broadcast ‘301’ [and] shot about it… I mean, it’s all manufactured at this point. Why not go for it?”

As for Zhang, despite completing a 10,000-foot skydive just a week earlier, the two-time LPGA champion admitted that hitting the opening shot at WTGL was far more nerve-racking. She even sprinted toward the tee to calm her nerves and avoid a shot-clock violation, something Tiger Woods had fallen victim to in January 2025.

Despite her great shot, however, Los Angeles secured a 3-1 victory against Zhang’s New York. That being said, the tech used in the inaugural WTGL event caused further concerns because of what happened with Michelle Wie West.

Michelle Wie West faced a couple of tech problems during the event

Representing Los Angeles Golf Club, West took on New York Golf Club at the SoFi Center in Florida. Although her team won, West had a few frustrating moments with the technology during the contest. The first incident occurred when West came agonizingly close to an ace on the Annika Sorenstam-designed hole. 

Her shot ricocheted off the virtual flagstick, even though it appeared as though the ball was about to drop. Even West believed she had made the hole-in-one, dropping to her knees in disbelief before realizing the shot had not gone in. Another incident involved a 98-yard wedge shot that landed close to the hole before spinning away from the target. 

Clearly frustrated with how the technology registered the shot, West remarked, “That wasn’t a spinning shot… That was a long shot.” However, she later appeared to backtrack on her criticism of the technology when asked about its accuracy. 

“I thought it was pretty accurate,” West admitted, acknowledging that adjusting to virtual golf, particularly on shorter shots and in the rough, was “definitely a learning curve.”

In any case, tech problems have plagued even the male version of the event, TGL. Tiger Woods is a part owner of the tech used in the event, which could be the driving factor behind its involvement. But only time will tell whether the problem continues to persist. 

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