TGL, the new technology-centric, indoor team golf league from Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, had a mostly successful launch Tuesday night.
The Bay Golf Club handily beat New York Golf Club 9–2 in front of 1,500 fans at a sold-out SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The Bay clinched the match after 10 holes, but all 15 holes were played, as they will be each week for season-ending tiebreaker purposes. Each hole is worth one point.
Ludvig Aberg was the star of the show for The Bay, which also featured Shane Lowry and Wyndham Clark. Xander Schauffele was the biggest draw for New York, alongside Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick. Celebrities like DJ Khaled and former NBA player Andre Iguodala—an investor in The Bay GC—were on hand.
Tuesday’s launch came after a one-year delay, following SoFi Center’s former air-supported roof collapsing in late 2023. The venue now has a steel-supported roof.
There were no noticeable issues with the simulator technology used for tee and approach shots, or the real-life “greenzone” that rotated and transformed for chips and putts in between the inaugural match’s 15 holes.
ESPN’s broadcast of the match, which started just after 9 p.m. ET and concluded at about 11:10, was fast-moving, featuring play-by-play announcer Matt Barrie interacting directly with the mic’d up players, who were on a 40-second shot clock. At one point, Schauffele interacted with someone in the crowd who was suggesting New York use the “hammer,” which can double the point value of any given hole.
Longtime ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt hosted pre- and post-match programming, as well as an intermission, from his studio in Washington, D.C. Aberg joined Van Pelt on SportsCenter following the match. Marty Smith was a roving on-course reporter.
When players hit shots into the simulator screen that’s 64 feet long and 53 feet wide, ESPN used a mix of capturing their reactions and going fullscreen to the ball’s virtual path, similar to traditional golf coverage.
Woods and McIlroy each joined Barrie in the TV booth during the match, and Woods, 49, offered some insight into TGL’s importance late in his historic playing career.
“This is showcasing golf, and we want to do that,” he said. “It’s a little bit harder for me to play a full-time schedule, but this is something neat, and we’re able to bring it to all the fans all around the world.”
Woods played the PNC Championship in December with his son, Charlie, but hadn’t played a professional event before that since the Open Championship in July. He had back surgery in September.
The 15-time major champion will make his TGL debut next week when his team, Jupiter Links Golf Club, takes on Los Angeles Golf Club.
On Tuesday night, the atmosphere inside SoFi Center was a stark contrast to most PGA Tour events. Music was playing during shots and there was no restriction on crowd noise. While the players were mic’d up for ESPN’s audience, fans in attendance could not hear what they were saying in real time.
The teams did not have official uniforms, as each golfer was still wearing their normal sponsored clothing. But there was some color coordination: All players wore white shorts, shoes, and hats, but New York had dark-blue shirts, while The Bay had light-green tops. It was easy to tell who was on which team, despite the lack of team logos.
TGL’s six teams will each play five regular-season matches over the next two months, before a postseason in March.
