‘Golf reimagined’ – McIlroy & Woods’ TGL set to begin

Rory McIlroy says Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL), the technology-driven version of the sport he is fronting with Tiger Woods, will help take golf “into the 21st century”.

The TGL begins on Wednesday (02: 00 GMT) in Florida after a 12-month delay.

The launch of the virtual competition for January 2024 was originally scheduled, but it was postponed due to an air-supported dome roof collapse at the SoFi Center in Florida.

“The first thing I would like to have people know is it’s golf, but it’s reimagined, sort of trying to take golf into the 21st century”, McIlroy told ESPN.

“We have teams, obviously there’s a lot of technology involved, trying to bring it into the digital era. A lot of things that we’ve taken from other sports like a shot clock, a timeout, things that you don’t see in regular golf.

TGL, which will feature six squads of four players, is run by TMRW Sports, the technology-focused sports company launched by Woods and McIlroy in August 2022.

Serena and Venus Williams, the owners of Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group, and NBA legend Stephen Curry are just a few of the backers.

Teams will choose three players to play in 15-hole competitions that will be divided into two sessions, with nine three-man alternate shots being played before each match and six singles head-to-head shots being played each.

The team with the most points in the hole wins, and points are given for the overall score. In the event of a draw, the winner will be decided by a nearest-the-pin contest.

The Sofi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, which will house the entire series, will allow the golfers to begin their rounds by shooting shots into a 64x53ft screen, which is roughly 24 times bigger than a regular golf sim.

McIlroy added, “Every time I step in here, I’m just blown away by the size of the screen, the fact that we’re able to put something on a stage like this,” added McIlroy.

“It’s really cool and we’re obviously really excited about it in the world of golf.”

About 1, 500 spectators will fit around the playing arena, which is approximately 100 yards long by 50 yards wide.

The players will switch from the simulator to hitting into live-action greens once less than 50 yards from the hole.

The green and three bunkers will be rotated by a 41-yard wide turntable each hole, and the slopes of the putting surface will be changed by 600 motorized actuators.

Thirty holes have been designed for the competition, with 15 in use for each match.

Losers receive no points, but winners receive two points.

If the match is settled by a nearest the pin competition, the winner will receive two points, while the loser picks up a point.

On the opening night, neither Woods nor McIlroy are in any action.

Instead, Matt Fitzpatrick, an Englishman, and Rickie Fowler, a member of The Bay, an Irishman Shane Lowry, Ludvig Aberg, and Wyndham Clark, play for New York Golf Club against The Bay.

Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Kevin Kisner are among the members of Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club, which will host him on January 14. He is scheduled to compete alongside his 15-time major winner on January 14.

Woods and his son Charlie teamed up for the PNC Championship in December, where he made a second competitive appearance. After recovering from back surgery in September, Woods entered his first competition since the Open Championship in July.

Several of golf’s top stars are part of the series, including world number two Schauffele, two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, former US Open champion Justin Rose and fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.

Scottie Scheffler, the world’s number one, will not be on the TGL due to her hand injury sustained while she was preparing for Christmas dinner.

Atlanta Drive GC

Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, Lucas Glover

Boston Common GC

Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott

Jupiter Links GC

Tiger Woods, Max Homa, Tom Kim, Kevin Kisner

Los Angeles GC

Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood

New York GC

Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young

The Bay GC

All times in GMT (five hours ahead of Florida)

8 January, 02:00: New York GC v The Bay GC

15 January, 02: 00: Los Angeles GC v Jupiter Links GC

22 January, 00:00: New York GC v Atlanta Drive GC

27 January, 23: 30: Jupiter Links GC v Boston Common GC

5 February, 02: 00: Boston Common GC v Los Angeles GC

17 February, 18: 00: Atlanta Drive GC v Los Angeles GC

17 February, 21:00: Atlanta Drive GC v The Bay GC

18 February, 00:00: The Bay GC v Boston Common GC

19 February, 00:00: Jupiter Links GC v New York GC

24 February, 22:00: Los Angeles GC v New York GC

25 February, 02: 00: Boston Common GC v Atlanta Drive GC

26 February, 02:00: The Bay GC v Jupiter Links GC

3 March, 20:00: The Bay GC v Los Angeles GC

4 March, 00:00: New York GC v Boston Common GC

5 March, 00: 00: Jupiter Links GC v Atlanta Drive GC

Play-offs

18 March, 00: 00: Semi-final one

19 March, 00: 00: Semi-final two

24 March, time TBD: Final, game one of three

26 March, 00: 00: Final, game two of three