Ever since Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy announced their tech-focused golf league in August 2022, there has been intrigue over precisely what it will entail.
In the months that have followed, information has been revealed intermittently to the point where we now know everything from most of the roster for the 2024 season, details of its stadium, the simulator that will be used and its format.
When the TGL was launched, Woods and McIlroy both spoke of taking the game into the future for the next generation of PGA Tour pros and all the signs are that it will begin to deliver on that ambition when it gets underway on 9 January.
Here are the key things to know about the TGL.
What is the TGL?
The TGL will be a tech-rich golf league that aims to reach more people and get them engaged with the game. This will be achieved by the use of state-of-the-art technology including a 64 feet by 46 feet simulator developed by Full Swing and a short-game complex featuring three virtual greens and 3,800 square feet of putting space.
The league is being launched in partnership with the PGA Tour from a custom-built stadium, the Sofi Center, at Palm Beach State College in Florida, which features real grass and a screen 20x bigger than normal simulators.
What Is The TGL Format?
Each week two of the six teams will compete over 15 holes. Only three of the four players on each team will play on a week-by-week basis.
The 15 holes will be divided into two sessions – nine holes of Triples (3 vs 3 alternate shot) and six holes of Singles featuring a rotating head-to-head.
The Triples session will see the three selected players on each team alternate who tees off a hole, with players rotating the shots thereafter.
With the Singles session, six holes will be played. On the first hole of the session, a player from one team takes on one opponent until it is completed. Then the action moves to the next hole, with the following player in a team taking on the next from the opposing team, before the third hole features the final players from each team.
Overall, each player faces the same opponent over two holes until the six Singles holes are completed.
One point is up for grabs on each hole, and the team with the fewest shots on a hole wins the point. Ties are worth zero points and there are no carryovers.
If the teams are tied after the completion of the 15 holes, players will compete in an “overtime tiebreaker.” This will involve a 3-on-3 closest-to-the-pin competition which will be played until one of the two teams hits two shots closer to the pin their their opponent.
A win in either regulation or overtime earns a team two points, while a loss in overtime sees that team win one point - a similar system to the NHL. However, any team losing in regulation walks away from the two hours of action empty handed.
When Does The TGL Start?
The TGL season will begin on Tuesday 9 January 2024, with coverage of ESPN and ESPN+. The first match will be broadcast at 9pm ET (2am GMT) with the second at 7pm ET (midnight GMT).
The action is scheduled to take place over two hours in front of a live audience.
Which Players Are In The TGL?
After confirmation that co-founders Woods and McIlroy would compete in the TGL, additional signings were slowly added to the roster before the final five TGL signings were announced in October 2023. Since then, one player, Jon Rahm, has pulled out of the debut TGL season, meaning 23 out of the 24 players are confirmed.
Below is the list as it stands.
- Tiger Woods
- Rory McIlroy
- Justin Thomas
- Rickie Fowler
- Collin Morikawa
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Justin Rose
- Xander Schauffele
- Max Homa
- Adam Scott
- Billy Horschel
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Shane Lowry
- Tom Kim
- Keegan Bradley
- Sahith Theegala
- Cameron Young
- Patrick Cantlay
- Wyndham Clark
- Min Woo Lee
- Kevin Kisner
- Lucas Glover
What Are The TGL Teams?
Six teams of four will be in the TGL, with each named after a geographical location in the US. Justin Thomas was the first player to be confirmed to a TGL team. He will play for Atlanta Drive GC. Soon after that announcement, Collin Morikawa was confirmed as a Los Angeles GC player, with the line-up for the Boston Common coming next, comprising co-founder McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton.
Here are the five confirmed teams:
- Atlanta Drive GC
- Boston Common GC
- Los Angeles GC
- TGL New York
- TGL San Francisco
What Does TGL Stand For?
There's no official confirmation on this and it is known as TGL in all communications. We'd simply assume it stands for 'TMRW Golf League' after TMRW Sports, the company - also co-founded by Woods and McIlroy - that created it.
What Is TMRW Sports?
TMRW (pronounced 'Tomorrow') Sports is a business founded in 2022 by 15-time Major winner Woods, four-time Major Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley, who was an NBC Sports executive for over 20 years.
The company is "focused on building technology-focused ventures that feature progressive approaches to sports, media, and entertainment."
TMRW Sports has attracted some big-name investors, including tennis stars Serena Williams and Andy Murray, former Real Madrid footballer Gareth Bale, musician and actor Justin Timberlake, NFL quarterback Josh Allen, and NBA basketball players including four-time NBA champions Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, Chris Paul and Jayson Tatum. Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Trea Turner and ice hockey's three-time Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby have also invested.
