Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have started a new venture to combat LIV Golf – but what is the TGL golf league?
The PGA Tour announced an abundance of new initiatives towards the end of the 2022 season to persuade its best players to stay put on the circuit and one of them was TGL Golf.
The concept was masterminded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and their company TMRW Sports as the major-winning pair continue their pioneering plans to improve the PGA Tour product.
The new interactive golf league launched a partnership with the PGA Tour which is set to provide the ultimate fan experience with an interactive, technology-inspired experience never seen before in the sport.
As well as helping to finalise the new Elevated Event structure we now see in 2023, the duo have devised this all-new initiative which they hope will capture the imagination of golf fans across the world.
So what do you want to know? Let’s dive in…
What is the TGL Golf League?
TGL is a tech-infused golf league that will show team matches in a custom-built arena on Monday nights in America. Each event will complement the PGA Tour schedule as part of the partnership.
TGL has been described as a “first-of-its-kind experience” as fans will be able to spectate in an up-close-and-personal fashion at a virtual course with a short-game complex.
The new league was announced in August, the same month that Woods, McIlroy and former NBC golf executive Mike McCarley formed TMRW Sports, a company that is focused on producing technology-based ventures in the world of sports and entertainment.
When will TGL Golf arrive on our screens?
The TGL season kicks off in January 2024 in the primetime televised slot. Every shot will be shown and each match will last two hours.
What is the format of TGL Golf?
There will be six teams of three PGA Tour players. There will be 15 regular season matches which will be followed by semi-finals and finals.
Who is signed up to the TGL league?
Nine players have been confirmed to participate in TGL so far. Woods and McIlroy were the first two names on the start sheet as the co-founders of the concept.
Former US Open winner Jon Rahm and two-time major champion Justin Thomas, a close friend of Woods, were the first two players to sign on the dotted line. They were followed by two more major trophy-holders in Collin Morikawa and Adam Scott.
Reigning US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick was announced in January, with Max Homa and Billy Horschel added to the roster soon after. Half of the spots have now been filled.
During the week of the Genesis Invitational, Olympic gold medalists Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele became the newest recruits.
Six-time PGA Tour winner Rickie Fowler is also on the TGL roster.
Who can we expect to see sign up for TGL Golf?
The first name that comes to mind is Jordan Spieth. He is Thomas’s closest friend on tour and the pair played together against Woods and McIlroy in the latest edition of The Match in December.
You could probably expect the Masters champion and former World No 1 Scottie Scheffler to take one of the nine remaining spots too, as well as Patrick Cantlay who was recently unveiled as a Player Director on the Tour’s Player Advisory Council.
Tom Kim is another player who springs to mind. He is a two-time Tour winner with an incredible personality and he participated with Woods during the ‘Hero Shot’ event before the Hero World Challenge in December.
In terms of European players, Viktor Hovland is a possibility as a two-time winner of Woods’ event in the Bahamas. Shane Lowry is now part of the PAC and has grown in popularity since winning the BMW PGA Championship in September.
Tommy Fleetwood often features in TaylorMade promotional videos alongside Woods and McIlroy, so it would be no shock if the Southport man, or either of his 2021 Ryder Cup colleagues was involved with TGL too.
One thing’s for sure – signing up to TGL is a commitment to the PGA Tour as the emergence of LIV Golf continues to swirl the rumours.
Why has TGL Golf been started?
When TGL was launched, Woods and McIlroy both spoke of taking the game into the future and delivering the sport on primetime for the next generation to sit up and take notice.
It will be a unique viewing experience for fans who attend and those at home too. Tour commissioner Jay Monahan spoke of attracting a broader audience to the sport and its players as well.
In the last six months, the PGA Tour has increased its efforts to nail its best players to the mast and TGL is an example of this.
This is because the resolve of some Tour players has been severely tested by LIV Golf and as we have seen, many of the game’s most recognisable players have been lured by the millions on offer from the Saudi-backed league that is set to restart on February 24.
As much as TGL is seen as a shiny new show featuring your favourite players, it could also be seen as a strategy that prevents the best players from hopping to the other side of the fence.
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