TGL: How To Watch: Match Notes
TGL (Tomorrow’s Golf League) is the new televised simulator golf league from TMRW Sports, the entertainment group founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Is it the Next Big Thing? I don’t know. I didn’t think video sports would be a big thing, and yet lots of people are watching other people play video games. I suppose that it’s really no different from my watching other people play golf on the PGA TOUR.
The TGL is kind of a hybrid, though. It’s got real PGA TOUR players hitting balls at a multiple-stories-high simulator screen in a 200,000 square foot facility. On the floor, they’re hitting off actual grass and out of actual sand.
Rather than trying to compete with the PGA TOUR, this tour seems to somehow want to supplement it. Matches are on Modays and Tuesdays, and do not keep the players from their regular PGA TOUR schedules. The simulator is in Florida, and the schedule for the most part coincides with the PGAT’s Florida swing. Four of the players in the inaugural match will be coming off play at The Sentry in Hawaii.
As with LIV, I’m willing to give it a look. I think the key to the success of this league will be how engaging the players can be on television. If it succeeds, it will be because it is more reality show than sport.
I think it would have been more fun with a mixed league, with teams having LPGA stars on their rosters.
The first TGL match is this Tuesday, January 7 on ESPN.
How To Watch The TGL:
Date/Time: Jan. 7, 2025, 9:00 p.m. ET
Broadcast: ESPN, ESPN+, International partners
Location: SoFi Center, Palm Beach State College, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
The TGL Website also has a Matchup Live “digital second screen” with live scoring, shot trails, match states and play by play: NY VS BAY Matchup Live | TGL
What is The Playing Format?
Format: Each match consists of two teams of three playing 15 holes across two sessions.
Triples: Holes 1-9 – Each team of three playing in alternate-shot format.
Singles: Holes 10-15 – One-vs-one, head-to-head competition for the entire hole. Each player from each team plays a total of two full holes during this session.
Who Is Competing?
New York Golf Club
Rickie Fowler
Matt Fitzpatrick
Xander Schauffele
The Bay Golf Club
Shane Lowry
Wyndham Clark
Ludvig Aberg
What Course Are They Playing?
Unlike the simulators most of us play, the TGL isn’t replicating famous courses on their screen. Instead, players will compete across fifteen holes selected from a group of thirty original, imaginary holes created by Agustin Piza, Beau Welling and Niclaus Design.
It’s an interesting concept.
You can preview some of the holes at this link: First Look at Hole Designs for TGL presented by SoFi | TGL
What is The TGL Schedule?
Match 1: N.Y. vs S.F. Bay (Tue, Jan 7, 9 pm)
Match 2: L.A. vs Jupiter (Tue, Jan 14, 7 pm)
Match 3: N.Y. vs Atlanta (Tue, Jan 21, 7 pm)
Match 4: Jupiter vs Boston (Mon, Jan 27, 6:30 pm)
Match 5: Boston vs L.A. (Tue, Feb 4, 9 pm)
Match 6: Atlanta vs L.A. (Mon, Feb 17, 1 pm)
Match 7: Atlanta vs S.F. Bay (Mon, Feb 17, 4 pm)
Match 8: S.F. Bay vs Boston (Mon, Feb 17, 7 pm)
Match 9: Jupiter vs N.Y. (Tue, Feb 18, 7 pm)
Match 10: L.A. vs N.Y. (Mon, Feb 24, 5 pm)
Match 11: Boston vs Atlanta (Mon, Feb 24, 9 pm)
Match 12: S.F. Bay vs Jupiter (Tue, Feb 25, 9 pm)
Match 13: S.F. Bay vs L.A. (Mon, Mar 3, 3 pm)
Match 14: N.Y. vs Boston (Mon, Mar 3, 7 pm)
Match 15: Jupiter vs Atlanta (Tue, Mar 4, 7 pm)
Semi-Finals: No. 1 vs No. 4 (Mon, Mar 17, 7 pm)
Semi-Finals: No. 2 vs No. 3 (Tue, Mar 18, 7 pm)
Finals: Best-of-Three Series (Mon-Tue, Mar 24-25, 9 pm)
What Are The TGL Teams?
For what it’s worth, I like their names and logos far better than the ones on LIV. These seem like actual golf clubs, while the LIV names have always given me a middle school vibe.
They’ve also done something I’ve thought LIV should have done from the start: tied their teams to a city or country. They’re starting to do that with players, but their names and logos don’t tell me anything about who they “represent.” Nothing, except Legion XIII, which as a history teacher tells me that it’s associated with Spain’s Franco-led, war-crime committing, civil war instigating, government overthrowing Legion XIII. Nothing like a Fascist theme for a golf club.
Atlanta Drive GC
Justin Thomas
Patrick Cantlay
Billy Horschell
Lucas Glover
Owner: Arthur Blank (Falcons Owner)
Boston Common Golf
Rory McIlroy
Keegan Bradley
Hideki Matsuyama
Adam Scott
Owner: Fenway Sports Group
Jupiter Links Golf Club
Tiger Woods
Max Homa
Tom Kim
Kevin Kisner
Owners: Tiger Woods, David Blitzer (managing partner, New Jersey Devils, 76ers)
Los Angeles Golf Club
Collin Morikawa
Sahith Theegala
Justin Rose
Tommy Fleetwood
Owners: Alexis Ohanian, Venus and Serena Williams
New York Golf Club
Matt Fitzpatrick
Rickie Fowler
Zander Schauffele
Cameron Young
Owner: Steve Cohen (Mets owner)
The Bay Golf Club
Ludwig Aberg
Wyndham Clark
Min Woo Lee
Shane Lowry
Marc Lasry, Steph Curry
It is interesting to me that this league has solid ownership from the start, unlike the LIV teams which seem to be on their own, floundering about and looking for buyers. I can remember when we were being told that LIV was going to be so popular that billionaires would be knocking the doors down trying to buy teams.
You can see the Logos here: Teams | TGL
I love the Boston Common logo, with its frog. They need a midwest team. How about a Detroit Franchise? Or Chicago? Also, one from Texas.
Match Notes
Lowry and The Bay Golf Club will have the honor of hitting the first tee shot in TGL history on ‘The Plank’, a 377- yard, par 4. Additionally, The Bay Golf Club will start the match with the Hammer, TGL’s score modifier that increases the value of a hole by 1 point when used.
Schauffele (NYGC), Clark (TBGC) and Fitzpatrick (NYGC) have combined to win four of the last 12 major championships, including Schauffele’s two majors in 2024 (PGA Championship, Open Championship). Schauffele became the third American player in history to win The Open and the PGA Championship in the same season, joining Walter Hagen (1924) and Tiger Woods (2000, 2006).
Clark was paired with Fowler for the final round of his 2023 U.S. Open victory. Clark was also paired with Patrick Cantlay as they defeated Fitzpatrick and Rory McIlroy 1-up in the Saturday match at the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Lowry finished 6th at both of Schauffele’s major championship victories in 2024 and started just two strokes behind Schauffele at the PGA Championship.
Five of the six golfers (Åberg, Clark, Fitzpatrick, Lowry and Schauffele) playing in this match were in the field for the 2024 Olympics.
In 2023, Åberg became the first player in history to play in a Ryder Cup before making his major championship debut, which he made at last year’s Masters and finished runner-up.
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