The debut season of TGL, the indoor golf league cofounded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, concluded Tuesday night with Atlanta Drive Golf Club defeating New York Golf Club to win the inaugural SoFi Cup and its $9 million first-place prize.
Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, and Lucas Glover make up the initial championship roster for Atlanta, which is owned by Falcons owner Arthur Blank.
Players did not earn prize money at each match, as their teams received a lump sum payment based on their final standings. With a total purse of $21 million, here’s how much each of the six teams took home:
- 1st, Atlanta Drive: $9 million
- 2nd, New York GC: $4.5 million
- 3rd, Los Angeles GC: $2.275 million
- 4th, The Bay GC: $2 million
- 5th, Jupiter Links GC: $1.75 million
- 6th, Boston Common Golf: $1.5 million
Full TV ratings for the final series are not yet available, but last week’s semifinal matches averaged just under 400,000 viewers per match, below the regular season’s average audience of 513,000 viewers across ESPN platforms.
Growth Opportunities
TGL combined simulator golf with on-course action at the 1,500-seat SoFi Center, which was purpose-built in South Florida to host all the league’s matches.
Moving forward, though, the league’s parent company, TMRW Sports, is considering building similar venues elsewhere in the U.S., likely starting with one on the West Coast.
League expansion beyond the six founding franchises is also on the table. This season, 24 PGA Tour players made up the six four-person rosters, but several non-TGL players subbed in for single matches when there were scheduled conflicts.
TGL Eyeing Women’s Golf
Another evolution TGL could take in Season 2, which should be next January, would be into women’s golf.
“I’m very excited about the prospect of having a women’s team in the TGL, as well as seeing what happens when we can do crossovers,” LAGC owner Alexis Ohanian recently told Front Office Sports.
As Ohanian noted, options include TGL adding a stand-alone women’s league, or mixed men’s and women’s matches throughout the season.
