James Atama
Combining virtual and physical golf, the league known as TGL features 24 players, including notable figures like Woods and McIlroy, competing in lively two-hour matches on Monday and Tuesday evenings over the next three months. McIlroy, a member of the Boston Common team in TGL, sees the league as an enhancement to traditional golf rather than a substitute.
“I’m still a traditionalist in a lot of ways. There’s no replicating championship golf. I think that’s always going to be around,” McIlroy shared during a call with NBC Sports promoting a docuseries about Boston Common. “However, there are definitely opportunities for innovation that can attract a different and younger audience, particularly by condensing the experience into a more digestible format and scheduling it at times that could garner more viewership.”
TGL features six teams of four PGA Tour players in an energetic setup. Participants will take shots at a towering five-story simulator screen before moving to an adjustable putting green. Matches will take place in a venue approximately the size of an American football field, streamed live with players mic’d up, walk-up music, and a 40-second shot clock to keep things moving quickly.
“You never know what this thing could be. This could be the future of golf,” remarked 2023 US Open champion Wyndham Clark, whose team, The Bay Golf Club, is set to compete against New York Golf Club in the season opener. “This could be one of the coolest things on Monday nights after football, and that’s the hope.”
Fifteen-time major champion Woods, who last played in a PGA Tour event at the British Open in July and underwent back surgery in September, is anticipated to make his TGL debut on January 14. The league’s less physically taxing format could prove advantageous for the golf legend.
“Because he doesn’t have to walk as much and it’s not four days and counting practice rounds, so let’s call it five or six days of a tournament, it does take away some of that physical part that Tiger is struggling with,” said Wyndham Clark. “This is going to be maybe, I don’t know, but this could be maybe the new place to watch Tiger Woods play, which is pretty neat.”
TGL, founded in 2022 by Woods and McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in collaboration with the PGA Tour, was initially slated to launch in January 2024. However, the launch was postponed due to damage to the dome of the host facility, which has since been replaced with a steel-supported structure.
Mike McCarley, CEO of TMRW Sports, explained that the vision behind TGL was to merge traditional golf elements with innovative technology.
“From the very early conversations with Tiger and Rory, both of them shared that thesis,” said McCarley. “Showcase (golf) in a way and present it in a way that there will be people who don’t necessarily follow the traditional game but will get into it because of the way we present this, and then because of that, they may become fans of the traditional game in a certain way.”
