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Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new golf league, TGL, is set to launch its debut season in 2024 and will see a new addition to professional men’s golf.
Woods and McIlroy, the masterminds behind the project, came together to announce the launch in August 2022, hoping to provide an alternative viewing experience to traditional professional golf tournaments and tap into a new market of recreational players.
TGL has partnered with the PGA Tour, with several of its highest-profile stars set to take part.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the first season.
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What is TGL?
TGL is a tech-infused golf league that will see 18 of the world’s best golfers compete in events held in a custom-built arena in Florida. The format will use golf simulators for some aspects with the hope of offering fans a shorter, different golf viewing experience.
The project is in partnership with the PGA Tour but has received funding from a host of celebrity investors including Lewis Hamilton, Lebron James, Justin Beiber, Shaquille O’Neal and Justin Timberlake amongst others.
What is the format?
TGL has six teams, each made up of four golfers. Each match will see three players from each team compete, meaning that one player will be rested from each team.
The format will see two teams face off in a 15-hole match which is split into two distinct sections. The first nine holes are “triples”, a three-man alternate shot format akin to the style of Ryder Cup foursomes. The final six holes are “singles” whereby each hole is one-on-one with both teams rotating their three golfers each hole.
Each hole is worth a point for the winning side with no points earned for a tie. At the end of the 15 holes, the team with the most points wins. In the event of a tie, there will be an overtime three-on-three closest-to-the-pin competition which is won when one team hits two shots closer to the pin their their opponent.
Teams get two points for a win, with the losing team earning one if they lose in overtime but none if they lose in the regulation 15 holes. The season will see 15 regular season matches, with the top four teams advancing to semi-finals and finals. All players will be mic’d up with matches set to last around two hours in front of an audience of around 2,000 fans.
Who is involved?
As the founders of the concept, Woods and McIlroy will both be participating in the format. Woods has not competed in a professional tournament since he withdrew from the Masters during his third round in April 2023.
The full list of golfers set to compete is:
Tiger Woods
Rory McIlroy
Collin Morikawa
Rickie Fowler
Matt Fitzpatrick
Xander Schauffele
Justin Thomas has been confirmed as a member of Atlanta Drive GC
Max Homa
Justin Thomas
Adam Scott
Billy Horschel
Justin Rose
Shane Lowry
Tommy Fleetwood
Tyrrell Hatton
Tom Kim
Keegan Bradley
Cameron Young
Sahith Theegala
Kevin Kisner
Wyndham Clark
Patrick Cantlay
Lucas Glover
Min Woo Lee
What are the teams?
There will be six teams competing in TGL which have all been sold to private owners. All of them are tied to a US city. The first four announced were:
Los Angeles Golf Club – bought by tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams as well as Serena’s husband, Reddit’s co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Atlanta Drive GC – bought by Arthur Blank, co-founder of US retail company, The Home Depot.
Boston Common Golf – bought by Fenway Sports Group, owners of Premier League team Liverpool and the Major League Baseball side Boston Red Sox.
New York team (name unconfirmed) – bought by Steve Cohen, owner of MLB side New York Mets.
San Francisco team (name unconfirmed) – bought by Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund and NBA player Stephen Curry.
The final team is yet to be confirmed.
When does it start?
The first match will be broadcast on January 9th. In America, it will be broadcast on ESPN, with UK streaming rights yet to be formally announced. Matches will be broadcast on weeknights outside of regular PGA Tour tournaments in an attempt to capture a new primetime audience.
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