Serena Williams’ reaction to a missed putt Monday night was extremely relatable to all golfers, professionals and amateurs alike. And it wasn’t even her shot.
The tennis legend was in the house at Sofi Center once again Monday to cheer on Los Angeles Golf Club as TGL – the tech-infused golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy – entered its inaugural playoffs.
But it was an agonizing watch for the 23-time Grand Slam winner as LAGC, the team she owns a stake in, suffered a huge upset at the hands of New York.
And one moment proved to be a particularly rough watch for Williams, who is used to dealing with sporting turmoil on the court rather than from the stands, as a putt from one of her players missed by millimeters.
The ESPN broadcast captured the ball rolling towards the hole before agonizingly lipping around the edge of the cup before trundling on past.
The footage then panned to an exasperated Williams, who was sat next to tech titan husband Alexis Ohanian, as she rolled her eyes before thrusting her palms into the air and shrugging.
Cameras caught Serena Williams’ frustrated reaction to a missed putt during TGL Monday
The tennis legend’s Los Angeles team slipped to a shock upset defeat in the playoffs
Williams’ night went on to go downhill from there as top-seeded LA slipped to a 6-4 upset against bottom seed New York.
New York advanced to next week’s best-of-three championship series, where it will face the winner between the Bay Golf Club and Atlanta Drive GC.
After an evenly played first seven holes, New York won the eighth hole when Xander Schauffele knocked in a birdie putt from 4 feet set up by Cameron Young’s approach. He proceeded to defeat LAGC’s Collin Morikawa at the par-5 10th and the par-4 13th, while Rickie Fowler beat Tommy Fleetwood of England for another New York point on the par-4 11th.
In both of the singles holes that Schauffele won, he ‘threw the hammer’ mid-hole looking to double the point value of the hole — the latter when he hit his approach at the 13th 30 feet closer to the pin than Morikawa did. In both cases, LAGC declined the hammer and conceded a single point.
New York was the last team to squeak into the league’s inaugural playoff field.
However, Williams’ husband and co-owner Ohanian pledged to bounce back from the shock defeat.
‘First things first congratulations to Steve and New York Golf Club. Go get them in the championship. All the LA Golf Club fans, thank you for being such an amazing supporters, thanks for believing in our team from the very start,’ he said.
‘But we have so much more to do, a lot of unfinished business. I am just so proud of our guys, so grateful to all of you day one fans. And we will be back, bigger, better than ever before next season. So thank you so much LA and we’ll get back at it.’
The 23-time Grand Slam winner was joined by her husband Alexis Ohanian in the stands
Los Angeles Golf Club – Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala – lost 6-4
Williams has been a regular feature at TGL in Palm Beach, Florida throughout its debut season.
Recently, the mother-of-two was in attendance last month fresh off her surprise appearance during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Fresh off her crip walk during Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us,’ the 43-year-old may have slightly embarrassed her eldest, known as Olympia, when ESPN cameras scoured the audience during a February match.
Seated in the front row alongside Philadelphia Eagles teammates Avonte Maddox and Dallas Goedert, Williams raised her arms and moved them along with the music over the apparent objections of Olympia.
The seven-year-old attempted to contain her mother’s enthusiasm by pulling her arms back down, although Serena continued to smile and laugh throughout.
