• Loading stock data...
Thursday, January 30, 2025

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy Fall Short in Boosting TGL Ratings

TGL, the new golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, is four matches into its first season. One match has surpassed 1 million viewers.

Palm Beach Post

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy were unable to significantly boost TV ratings for their new indoor team golf league in the first match the TGL cofounders’ clubs played against each other.

ESPN drew an average of 864,000 viewers for Jupiter Links Golf Club’s 4–3 overtime victory against Boston Common Golf. That’s up from last week’s audience of 682,000 viewers, but down from the league’s debut broadcast (919,000) and the first match Woods played in (1 million).

Monday night’s match started at 6:30 p.m. ET, while the previous three began at either 7 p.m. or 9 p.m. The TV audience did peak at 1.1 million during overtime, mirroring the peak figure of the Jan. 14 match involving Woods, whose Jupiter Links lost 12–1 to Los Angeles Golf Club. 

TGL is now averaging 874,000 viewers through four matches on ESPN. 

The Tiger effect that has impacted golf TV ratings for the past 25 years is perhaps not as large as one might expect, so far at least. The two matches involving Woods averaged 932,000 viewers, while the two without him drew an average of 800,500.

Monday night’s match was the closest competition TGL has seen so far, as Jupiter Links and Boston Common ended regulation tied at 3. (Each hole of the 15-hole match is typically worth one point, with no points awarded for a tie.) In overtime, Jupiter prevailed in a best-of-three closest-to-the-pin chipping contest.

Once again, TGL ran over its allotted two-hour time slot on ESPN, which was 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. ET this week. The NC State–Duke broadcast began on ESPNU, with ESPN picking the game up at about 8:49 p.m. ET, with 16 minutes remaining in the first half.

Woods’s Jupiter Links will be back in action Feb. 18, but he won’t play McIlroy’s Boston Common again in the regular season. Four of the league’s six teams will make the playoffs, which will take place in March.

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Jun 7, 2023; Miami, Florida, USA; Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem (40) during the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets in game three of the 2023 NBA Finals at Kaseya Center.
exclusive

Udonis Haslem Joins ESPN As Full-Time NBA Analyst

He won three NBA championships during his 20 years with the Heat.
Nov 19, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Former Panther and now announcer Greg Olsen during pregame warm ups between the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium.

Greg Olsen Knew Tom Brady Was Looming At Fox All Along

Olsen knew when he took the top announcer job that Tom Brady was coming.

Clemson, Florida State Could End ACC Lawsuits Under Revised ESPN Deal

The network has picked up its option to continue its deal through 2036.
Jun 16, 2024; Pinehurst, North Carolina, USA; Rory McIlroy pitches onto the eighteenth green during the final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament.

Rory McIlroy Suggests a Scarcity Model for Golf Like the NFL

Rory McIlroy wants the PGA Tour to have a more entertaining product.

Featured Today

It’s Starting to Pay to Be Good at Cornhole

American Cornhole League players made $7.7 million in 2024.
PWHL arena
January 25, 2025

PWHL’s Sophomore Year Booms in Canada, Has Room to Grow in U.S.

Attendance is up 30% from last year, the league says.
January 24, 2025

Once Abandoned, Portland Is Regaining Its Place in the WNBA

The next WNBA team is springing up in a once-deserted market.
October 17, 2011; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets fan fireman Ed during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at the New Meadowlands Stadium.
January 24, 2025

Superfandom Is a Lifestyle, Business—and Thorn in Some Teams’ Sides

Rabid fandom has perks—sometimes to the frustration of teams and leagues.

Comcast Stock Falls, but Peacock and Sports Rights Provide Hope

Revenue grows at Peacock while TV, internet subscriptions slide again.
January 29, 2025

NFL Viewership May Be Slipping, but Super Bowl Still a Hot Commodity

Fox reaches record ad sales levels, despite industry headwinds.
Jan 4, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Jameis Winston (5) reacts during the game against Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.
January 29, 2025

Jameis Winston Tapped As Fox Sports Digital Correspondent for Super Bowl Week

Winston played for the Saints from 2020 to 2023.
Sponsored

How UBS Crafts Impactful Partnerships Across Sports, Arts, and Culture

As UBS continues to expand its impressive array of sports and entertainment partnerships, the company solidifies its position as a leader in wealth management.
Nov 14, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; American former professional basketball player Reggie Miller reacts after the game between the LA Clippers against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.
exclusive
January 29, 2025

Reggie Miller Joining NBA on NBC As a Lead Color Commentator

The former Pacers sharpshooter had worked at TNT since 2005.
January 28, 2025

Bills-Chiefs Draws Historic TV Ratings, but NFC Game Disappoints

The conference title games significantly differed on and off the field.
January 28, 2025

Rangers Go Their Own Way on TV Strategy, Launch New Company

The MLB club creates a local media venture and new holding company.
January 27, 2025

All Signs Point to Kendrick Lamar Performing ‘Not Like Us’ at Super..

The rapper is reportedly dead set on performing the diss track in New Orleans.