The PGA Tour has been attempting to garner new interest in the sport for the past few years. “The Match” debuted in 2018, marketed as a battle between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson, two of the best golfers on the planet. The event, much like every iteration of “The Match” since, has been lackluster in both the execution and product.
Professional golfers are a different breed. They are not the smack-talking friends you play with on the weekends while having a few drinks. Rather, they are robots programmed to compete and be the best in the world at what they’re doing. Where “The Match” has failed for years to realize this, the debut of Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL) is the prime example of how to do it right.
TGL Review: Tomorrow’s Golf League Puts “The Match” in the Rearview
What is the TGL?
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods watch golfers warm up for TGL’s inaugural match at SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. | Greg Lovett – USA TODAY Sports*
TGL, presented by SoFi, is a league created by TMRW Sports, which is a joint venture between Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Mike McCarley. While two of those names are familiar, McCarley is likely one you haven’t heard. He got his start in the media space in 2000 at NBC, where he was the communications director for the Olympics division. He expanded throughout his career, and under his leadership, “Sunday Night Football” became the only regularly scheduled sporting event of any kind to earn the title of No. 1 primetime television program. It also set the record as the longest-running program of the same merit. McCarley has also been credited with the ascension of the Golf Channel, foreshadowing why I think this format was so successful.
As far as the event itself, TGL consists of six teams, each made up of four PGA Tour players. Teams represent a different geographical location and brand, which allows for more connection through the team dynamic.
Each team will play one regular-season match against each other for five total matches throughout the season. The matches will consist of three golfers who are “elevated” to participate in both the alternate shot team holes and head-to-head singles matches. Unlike “The Match,” the event does not end when the battle is won. Each hole win is used for potential tie-breakers for playoff implications. They also introduce new rules to the game, such as a 40-second shot clock, timeouts for each team, a “hammer” that can be thrown to increase the hole’s value in the match and an overtime format that consists of a closest-to-the-pin contest.
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Logistics
New York Golf Club’s Rickie Fowler hits out of the trap during the inaugural golf match at SoFi Center, the home of TGL, the interactive golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on January 7, 2025 in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. | Greg Lovett – USA TODAY Sports*
The entire TGL will be played indoors at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The venue is the main reason we are just now getting TGL matches, as the structure was damaged, and repairs took an additional year before it was fully ready to go.
Inside the SoFi Center, we see Full Swing golf software used in the “ScreenZone,” where the players hit their tee and approach shots off real grass tee boxes, fairways, and sand-filled bunkers. Once close enough to the green, players will transition to the “GreenZone, ” a fully rotational green and bunker combination. Suffice it to say this is a much different viewing experience than your traditional golf match/tournament.
The Viewer Experience
As an avid fan of both playing and watching the sport, I was excited to see how this first match day played out. While it did take me some time to wrap my head around the format and truly understand what was going on, I think that TGL is exactly what the PGA Tour needed.
Getting each player mic’d up, with the ability to hear and communicate with the announcers and even Tiger Woods (who joined the commentary booth), we could hear and see more of the player interaction than we get in a traditional Tour environment. Typically, we are limited by the players’ focus and the simple fact that their balls can be hundreds of yards apart at any given time.
The best moment of the event was during the singles portion, where Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry matched up. Fowler had conceded the hole, as it was near impossible for him to win, and told Lowry his “putt was good.” He also said that the fans didn’t know it was good and he wanted Lowry to putt it anyway. Just as the Irishman was taking his putt, Fowler threw the flagstick in the line of the putt, eliciting a roar from the crowd.
The crowd was probably one of the more underrated parts of the event as a whole. Chanting for and against players also allowed us to be blessed with a mid-match interview with noted golfer and king of the phrase “Let’s Go Golfing,” DJ Khaled.
Here to Stay?
Ultimately, I think this event sold me on the TGL format, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the league expand over the years. The PGA Tour desperately needed innovation to continue to draw fans, and the TGL experience is something I believe can accomplish that.
Sure, I could’ve used more banter between the players and less of some of the cheesy commentary. At the end of the day, this was a breath of fresh air for both the game of golf and the viewers of this classic sport, who will learn to appreciate the technological innovations that made this possible.
Thanks for reading my blog on the debut of TGL! Be sure to follow me on Twitter @Parry_FF for more content. Don’t forget to tell someone that you love them!
*Photo Credit: Handout Photo/ Brennan Asplen/TGL Golf – USA TODAY Sports*
