Rory McIlory and Tiger Woods' TGL golf league will launch on January 9
In January, the forthcoming TGL, a cutting-edge golf league designed to expand the golfing community, is scheduled to kick off. The league features 24 players, forming six teams of four, with notable names like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. These golf matches are distinct, being played over 15 holes, which merge oversized simulators with precision shots aimed at tech-enhanced greens.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will launch TGL, a new high-tech golf league, on January 9, with 12 of the current world’s top 20 having signed up.
TGL, run by TMRW Sports, the technology-focused sports company established by Woods and McIlroy in 2022, will finish before The Masters in April.
Events will be played over 15 holes, include overtime and lots of technology, combining an oversized simulator with actual shots to a tech-infused green that can change contours depending on the shot.
The SoFi Center, at Palm Beach State College in Florida, will host each event, with the venue holding approximately 1,600 spectators
The six four-man teams have been announced, with the Woods-backed Jupiter Links Golf Club based in Florida the final side to be confirmed on Tuesday, joining the other five based in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta.
“Having the opportunity to not only compete, but also own a team to represent Jupiter is an exciting next chapter for me,” Woods said upon the unveiling of his team, with the 47-year-old feeling the new venture will be easier to follow than the Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
The six squads will play each other once in league play but only three of the four players will compete in any one event.
Famous backers of the other five teams include NBA star Steph Curry, who is involved with the San Francisco outfit, and tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, who are supporting the Los Angeles group.
Liverpool Football Club owners Fenway Sports Group are involved with the Boston side, with that conglomerate also owning baseball’s Boston Red Sox.
Who are the players involved?
• Tiger Woods (Jupiter Links CC)
• Rory McIlroy (Boston Common Golf)
• Justin Thomas (Atlanta Drive GC)
• Patrick Cantlay
• Rickie Fowler
• Collin Morikawa (Los Angeles GC)
• Max Homa
• Xander Schauffele
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Tyrrell Hatton (Boston Common Golf)
• Justin Rose
• Shane Lowry
• Wyndham Clark
• Kevin Kisner
• Adam Scott (Boston Common Golf)
• Min Woo Lee
• Lucas Glover
• Tom Kim
• Sahith Theegala
• Billy Horschel
• Cameron Young
• Keegan Bradley (Boston Common Golf)
All players will be mic’d up during the events to bring fans closer to the action.
How does it work?
The opening nine holes will be called “triples” – alternate shot for the three players, with one point awarded for winning a hole. The final six holes will be singles, with each team member playing two holes.
Any match ending in a tie goes to overtime, with each player going head to head in a closest-to-the-pin competition.
A team win is worth two points with the losing side earning no points if the game is settled in regulation play but picking up one if the contest stretches to overtime.
The competition starts with a tee shot from one of two areas – 35 yards away or 20 yards away from a screen that is 64 feet by 46 feet, roughly 20 times the size of a standard simulator.
The ball needs to be in the air for a half-second before hitting the screen for all the data to register and simulate the shot.
From there, the next shot to the big screen will be played from either real fairway grass, rough or sand, depending on the accuracy of the tee shot.
Once players get within 50 yards, they play actual shots to a green complex that is larger than four basketball courts.
The 3,800-square-foot green includes three virtual greens, 15 feet by 27 feet, in which the slope of the green can change to create variety.
Shot clocks, timeouts and a referee
TGL has taken inspiration from other sports and will include shot clocks, timeouts and a referee.
Each player will have 40 seconds to take their shot or their team will receive a violation and a one-stroke penalty. The shot clock will be monitored by the referee in coordination with a booth official.
Teams are permitted four timeouts per match – two in triples, two in singles – and they can be called by any team member, with the referee acknowledging the call.
For the team playing their shot, timeouts may be called at any point before the shot clock expires. Back-to-back timeouts can not be used while on the current shot.
‘Simpler than LIV’ – what are players and organisers saying?
Tiger Woods: “Generally, golf takes about five or six hours to play. In today’s world, with all of our smartphones, it is hard for anybody to go five to six hours without looking at their phones. So the shorter the time, the better it is.
“Some of the stuff I’ve seen in LIV… I couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on. Here it’s very simple.”
Shane Lowry, speaking to Sky Sports: “I think it’s going to be fun and grasp a different audience than what regular golf tournaments do. There will be a certain edge of competition around it as well.
“The days of 45-event seasons with four regular strokeplay events are dwindling a little bit. We need to captivate a new and different audience. This is going to do that. Hopefully it will grow the game.”
Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports: “If you take the macro view, we have a sport with 600 years of history and tradition that we’re now combining with technology that exists and has never been deployed in this manner.”
“You combine history and credibility with a new access to golf, and I think it broadens the fan base… making golf relevant to new groups of people in new ways.”
