TGL, Not LIV vs. PGA Tour, the Talk of PGA Show Ahead of Critical Year for Golf

Rory McIlroy is set to make his debut in TGL, the indoor golf league he cofounded with Tiger Woods, on Monday night—four weeks into the inaugural season.

McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf Club will face off against the Woods-led Jupiter Links Golf Club in what should be the most-watched TGL match yet. The high-water mark so far is an audience of one million on ESPN for the Week 2 broadcast, which was the first one featuring Woods in action.

The ultimate fate of TGL continues to be a hot topic in the golf industry, which gathered in Orlando last week for the 2025 PGA Show. As more than 30,000 people attend the annual event, TGL—not the ongoing PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf divide—was the No. 1 topic attendees who spoke with Front Office Sports wanted to talk about the most.

From dissecting the prospects of TGL to debating its place in golf, everybody has an opinion.

TGL’s third match last Tuesday featured the debut of the Atlanta Drive, who beat the New York Golf Club, which is now 0–2. Not surprisingly, those TV ratings (682,000 viewers) were down compared to the previous two.

ESPN should be pleased with the viewership, though. Through three matches, TGL is averaging 869,000 viewers, a 50% increase over the comparable ESPN programming in those time slots in January 2024—three college basketball games that averaged 580,000. Additionally, TGL says its median viewer age of 51, according to Nielsen ratings, is lower than the NHL (52), Formula One (53), NFL (54), and MLB (60).

Talk of the Town

At the PGA Show, the prevailing thoughts among TGL observers were intrigue and uncertainty: How much of an audience can the new league draw, and for how long?

It was an interesting dynamic speaking about TGL, since so many at the PGA Show had a stake in the league, whether that be apparel companies and equipment manufacturers that sponsor a TGL player, or executives that work with or consult for the league in some form.

Some folks, even unbiased ones, are extremely bullish. They see infinite opportunity for TGL and are confident any initial hiccups—whether that be around technology or TV ratings—will be resolved.

On the other end of the spectrum, some industry professionals see no need for a league like TGL. They think some players don’t seem that interested and that the product feels forced.

TGL has 12 more matches across eight more match days. Only four more matches involve Woods, whose presence has consistently been the marker for strong golf TV ratings for 25-plus years. The challenge now, and in future seasons, remains drawing and retaining fans, even when Woods is not playing.