Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's innovative, tech-enhanced indoor golf competition is scheduled to commence in January.
Initially planned for a start in January 2023, the broadcast event faced a two-year delay following the collapse of the custom-built Florida venue's inflatable dome due to a power failure in November 2021.
The competition involves six squads, each featuring 24 prominent golfers equipped with microphones, participating in a 15-match regular season at the 1,500-seater arena in Palm Beach Gardens. The postseason then commences, culminating in a three-match Finals Series showdown for the SoFi Cup on March 24, 2025.
Broadcast on ESPN, this initiative is spearheaded by TMRW Sports, a company established by Woods and McIlroy, and intends to entice a new generation of golf enthusiasts through its innovative virtual course and stadium design.
Players on each four-person team engage in tee and approach shots in a 64-by-53-foot simulator before proceeding to the GreenZone, a rotatable and slope-adjustable green owing to a turntable and underlying actuators.
Single match tickets, which encompass two sessions and 15 holes, are priced from $160 and will be available to the public from October 29.
The roster of team ownership groups boasts a star-studded lineup of sporting personalities, including tennis celebrities Serena and Venus Williams, NBA players Giannis Antetokounmpo and Steph Curry, as well as Fenway Sports Group (FSG) from Liverpool football club.
Lineup of Players
The inaugural contest, scheduled for January 7, will see New York Golf Club, led by double major champion Xander Schauffele, lock horns with The Bay Golf Club.
Schauffele, who triumphantly claimed both the PGA and Open Championships during an incredible 2024 season, will be supported by fellow Americans Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young, along with England's Matt Fitzpatrick. They will face Sweden's Ludvig Åberg, Australia's Min Woo Lee, Ireland's Shane Lowry, and Wyndham Clark of the US.
Tiger Woods will be the headliner of the second match, as his Jupiter Links Golf Club team debuts against the all-American Atlanta Drive GC quartet featuring Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, and Lucas Glover.
Woods, the 15-time major champion, took part in all four major tournaments this season for the first time since his 2021 car crash but has yet to compete since his missed cut at the Open Championship in July. After undergoing successful back surgery last month, Woods expressed optimism about returning to "normal life activities, including golf."
TMRW Sports co-founder and world No. 3 McIlroy will take center stage on matchday four, as his Boston Common Golf team clashes with Woods' squad. McIlroy, along with world No. 2 Schauffele, will represent the highest-ranked players in the competition, with the absence of top-ranked Scottie Scheffler.
Norway's Viktor Hovland and American LIV Golf star Bryson DeChambeau are two prominent golfers missing from the league, while Spain's Jon Rahm had been slated to compete but withdrew in November and subsequently joined LIV Golf.
Teams in TGL
Atlanta Drive GC
Justin Thomas (USA), Patrick Cantlay (USA), Billy Horschel (USA), Lucas Glover (USA)
Boston Common Golf
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), Hideki Matsuyama (Japan), Keegan Bradley (USA), Adam Scott (Australia)
Jupiter Links Golf Club
Tiger Woods (USA), Max Homa (USA), Tom Kim (South Korea), Kevin Kisner (USA)
Los Angeles Golf Club
Collin Morikawa (USA), Sahith Theegala (USA), Justin Rose (England), Tommy Fleetwood (England)
New York Golf Club
Matt Fitzpatrick (England), Rickie Fowler (USA), Xander Schauffele (USA), Cameron Young (USA)
The Bay Golf Club
Ludvig Åberg (Sweden), Wyndham Clark (USA), Min Woo Lee (Australia), Shane Lowry (Ireland)
TGL schedule
Regular Season
January 7: New York GC v The Bay GC
January 14: Los Angeles GC v Jupiter Links GC
January 21: New York GC v Atlanta Drive GC
January 27: Jupiter Links GC v Boston Common GC
February 4: Boston Common GC v Los Angeles GC
February 17: Atlanta Drive GC v Los Angeles GC, Atlanta Drive GC v The Bay GC, The Bay GC v Boston Common GC
February 18: Jupiter Links GC v New York GC
February 24: Los Angeles GC v New York GC, Boston Common GC v Atlanta Drive GC
February 25: The Bay GC v Jupiter Links GC
March 3: The Bay GC v Los Angeles GC, New York GC v Boston Common GC
March 4: Jupiter Links GC v Atlanta Drive GC
Postseason
Semifinals: March 17, March 18
Finals Series: March 24, March 25
This innovative golf event, featuring on ESPN, is a unique sports spectacle with six teams competing in a 15-match regular season. (golf, sport)
Prominent golfers like Xander Schauffele and Tiger Woods are part of the lineup for this groundbreaking virtual golf competition. (golf, sport)
