GOLF
What is the TGL Golf Tour? All you need to know about the format, owners and teams
The advanced technology golf league TGL, with top players from the PGA TOUR and created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, is set to launch in early 2024.
The new professional golf league, TGL, presented by SoFi, combines advanced technology with top players from the PGA TOUR for a two-hour weekly competition in prime time. Six teams from six different cities will compete in a season-long competition at SoFi Center, a first-of-its-kind venue explicitly built for golf on the Palm Beach State College campus. The format will see six teams of four golfers compete in a custom-built arena on weekday nights. TGL incorporates innovative tech with virtual and real-life elements, and matches will air live on ESPN and ESPN+ starting in January.
During the competition, players will be mic’d up, and they will play a series of two-hour 18-hole matches using a combination of simulators and traditional golf. The league aims to offer an exciting and different experience to a regular PGA Tour event. Some of the best PGA Tour players have already signed up to compete in the first season.
The new golf league will commence in January 2024. It is a project that has been in the works for several years, with Woods and McIlroy collaborating with TMRW Sports, a business firm, to bring the idea to life.
The product was officially launched in August 2022. TMWR Sports CEO and founder Mike McCarley explained that the innovative league blends a sport with 600 years of history with technology on a grand stage. It is designed for a live, primetime competition and provides fans with a fresh, short-form version of golf in an unmatched coliseum environment.
The concept was in the works for almost two years before its unveiling, and the league features Tiger and Rory, golf’s two biggest stars, to the delight of their fans.
TMRW Sports has joint-founders - McIlroy, Woods, and McCarley. They officially own TGL and its brand, but they have received investments from outside sources. In November 2022, the company announced the formation of an investment group. The group comprises big celebrity and sports names such as Justin Timberlake, Justin Bieber, Chris Paul, LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton, and Andy Murray, among others.
Funds have come from the six teams sold to private investors and broadcasting rights. The first season will be exclusively shown on ESPN in America.