Tiger Woods watches his shot during the first round of the PGA Championship, 2024. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The inaugural season of the tech-infused indoor team golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy tees off on Wednesday afternoon New Zealand time in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida with organisers hoping a fast-paced twist on an age-old sport attracts new fans.
Combining the best of virtual and real-world golf, Woods and McIlroy will be among the 24 TGL players competing in two-hour matches during prime time on American television for the next three months.
McIlroy, one of four members of TGL's Boston Common team, does not expect the new league to take over the world of golf but rather be complementary to everything else that is going on in the sport.
"I'm still a traditionalist in a lot of ways. There's no replicating championship golf. I think that's always going to be around," McIlroy said.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts after finishing the 18th hole during the final round of the 124th U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort, North Carolina. Photo: AFP
"But there are certain things that we can do to innovate and try to maybe appeal to a different and younger demographic, especially trying to condense it into a time frame that is a little bit more digestible and putting it on at a time where we're maybe going to get a few more eyeballs as well."
TGL features six teams of four PGA Tour members competing in a fast-paced form of team golf where players will hit shots at a five-storey-high simulator screen before eventually shifting to an adjustable putting surface.
Every shot on the field of play, which is about the size of an American football field, will be broadcast live, players will be mic'd up and enter the competition area to walk-up music and a shot clock will force teams to hit within 40 seconds.
Woods, a 15-times major champion who has not competed in a PGA Tour event since last July's British Open and underwent back surgery in September, is expected to make his TGL debut next week in a format that will be much less physically taxing.
TMRW Sports CEO Mike McCarley said the idea behind TGL was to incorporate elements of the traditional game of golf while also bringing the game into the future and embracing technology.
"From the very early conversations with Tiger and Rory, both of them shared that thesis," said McCarley.
"Showcase (golf) in a way and present it in a way that there will be people who don't necessarily follow the traditional game but will get into it because of the way we present this, and then because of that, they may become fans of the traditional game in a certain way."
- Reuters
