After a year’s delay—and a lot of hype—the time has come. TGL is finally set to launch. In advance of its live televised debut tonight, here’s what you need to know about the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-backed indoor golf league.
An indoor golf league, eh. So, it’s simulator golf?
Partly. The competition will be a hybrid of virtual and real, with players hitting full shots into a 3,392-square-foot screen, some 20 times the size of a standard simulator. But shorter shots will be a different story. From 50 yards and in, players will turn 180 degrees and take aim at a large, synthetic-turf green.
Like a backyard short-game facility?
Far more sophisticated. The green is set on an hydraulic system that allows it to rotate and morph in its topography, so approach angles and breaks will vary from hole to hole. As for those approaches, players will hit them off one of three surfaces: real fairway-length grass; rough-length grass, or actual sand, the same kind as at Augusta National, depending on where their simulated drives wind up.
Who are the players?
The league is made up of six 4-player teams of PGA Tour pros. As you’ll see below, there are big names in the mix, and big money behind them.
Atlanta Drive GC: Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover, Bily Horschel, Justin Thomas. Ownership: Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank
Boston Common Golf: Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott. Ownership: Fenway Sports Group, whose holdings include the Boston Red Sox and the Liverpool soccer club.
Jupiter Links: Max Homa, Tom Kim, Kevin Kisner, Tiger Woods. Ownership: Woods’ TGR Ventures.
Los Angeles GC: Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala. Ownership: Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams and limited partners including Michelle Wie West and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
New York GC: Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young. Ownership: New York Mets owner Steve Cohen
The Bay GC: Ludvig Aberg, Wyndham Clark, Min Woo Lee, Shane Lowry. Ownership: Steph Curry and Avenue Sports Fund, with limited partners including Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson.
What’s the format?
Each match will feature two teams of three playing across two sessions. Holes 1-9 will be played as “triples,” with the three teammates on each squad playing alternate shot. Holes 10-15 will be individual match play, with each player from each team playing a total of two full holes. Each hole is worth a point, but—and maybe you recognize this feature from your own matches with friends—teams will have the option of throwing down a “Hammer,” which doubles the value of the hole. If slow play drives you crazy, some good news: there will be a 40-second shot clock. In the tradition of other non-traditional professional golf events, the players will be mic’d up
What if there’s a tie?
They settle matters with a 3-on-3 closest to the pin contest on a par 3.
What, exactly, is Tiger’s involvement in all of this?
Like McIlroy, he’s a co-founder and co-owner of TGL, with sports executive Mike McCarley, in partnership with the PGA Tour. As you may have noticed above, Woods and McIlroy have skin in the game in another sense: they are also competitors in the league.
Cool. So we get to see Tiger tonight?
He’s expected to be on hand, but he’s not competing. Tonight’s match pits New York Golf Club against Bay Golf Club. Woods’ team, Jupiter Golf Club, will play its first match next week against Los Angeles Golf Club. The TGL season is 15 weeks, and each team will compete five times.
What are they playing for?
Here’s a shocker: money. The reported season prize fund is $21 million, to be paid out at the end of the season, with $9 million going to the winning team.
It feels like we’ve been hearing about TGL forever. What has taken so long?
The league was originally scheduled to launch last January, but a power outage in the fall of 2023 caused the domed roof of the league’s custom-built stadium to collapse. As a consequence, the launch was postponed by a year.
Tell me more about that stadium.
It’s called the SoFi Center. It’s on the campus of Palm Beach State College. And it seats 1,500 people. It’s about a 30-minute from Jupiter, where many of the players live, so an easy commute for the competitors.
How can I watch the match tonight?
It will air live at 9 p.m. EST on ESPN and ESPN+.
Who are the broadcasters?
The lead team is a seasoned trio. Scott Van Pelt will be the host, with Matt Barrie calling play-by-play and Marty Marty Smith as ‘on course’ reporter. There is also a digital team, co-hosted by Jahmai Webster and (Golf.com’s own) Claire Rogers. Prominent golf influencer Roger Steele will serve as in-venue MC, and DJ Irie (yep, there’s a DJ) will be mixing beats. Former longtime NBA referee Derrick Stafford will ref the action (there’s a shot clock, after all), and the PGA Tour’s Mark Russell will serve as rules official.
Anyone who’s hit balls on a simulator knows that the technology sometimes glitches and doesn’t pick up a shot, or registers the shot inaccurately. What will they do if that happens?
That’s one of the risks of doing this live, but TGL has a safety net in place. According to language in league’s rulebook, both the referee and booth official will have the power to step in to preserve the integrity of the match. They can declare an ‘an inaccurate computation’ and call for a re-hit. Same goes if a shot is not captured at all.
Can I bet on TGL matches?
Seems like you can bet on almost anything these days, and TGL is no exception, provided you’re in an area where sports betting is legal. In tonight’s match, New York Golf Club is the betting favorite, at -135 (meaning you’d have to risk $135 to win a $100; note that lines can vary from one betting site to the next).
While we have you, what does TGL stand for anyway?
Though some folks have taken to calling it Tomorrow’s Golf League, the people behind it say that’s not right. The official name of TGL is just that: TGL.
Hmm. Okay. But since you mentioned ‘Tomorrow,’ do you think there’s anything to that? Does this concept reflect where the game is headed?
That’s one of the $64,000 questions. It’s no secret that professional golf has long been trying to expand beyond its traditional audience. That effort feels more urgent than ever at time when everyone in the pro ranks seems to be demanding more money, even as the PGA Tour-LIV divide drags on and TV ratings drop. On the one hand, TGL appears to meet all the demands of the modern sports entertainment age: it’s a novel, fast-paced, live-televised concept with big names in the mix — and big money — behind it. Also, you can bet on it. Whether all those elements will come together into a winning formula remains to be seen.
Will you be watching?
For sure. We’re curious. Plus, by 9 p.m. EST, it will be too late to play at our local course.
