Match play, weekly fields and postseason plans: Explaining TGL’s unique format
Over the last year, TGL has continuously announced player signings and team owners to build anticipation for the new tech-infused golf league led by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Golf fans knew the basics – six teams of four PGA Tour players competing in 15 regular season matches, followed by semifinals and finals matches all at a high-tech short-game complex – but we didn’t know what an actual competition would look like. On Tuesday the competition format, regular-season points system and postseason details were all released as the first match on Tuesday, Jan. 9, approaches.
Here’s what you need to know about the format for TGL.
MORE: TGL to air exclusively on ESPN
Match play
Each match will feature two sessions with different formats. Session 1 will be 9 holes of “Triples,” three vs. three team alternate shot. Session 2 is 6 holes of “Singles,” a head-to-head competition where each competitor plays two holes.
Holes are worth 1 point and the team with the fewest shots on a hole wins the point. Ties are worth 0 points. If a match is all square at the end of the 15 holes, players will compete head-to-head until a team hits two shots closer to the pin than its competitors.
It’s a unique format to say the least, and the Triples session could provide some entertainment. That said, the Singles session may confuse viewers with a revolving door of players, and the closest-to-the-pin overtime tiebreaker has the potential to drag out (remember the first Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson match?).
Points system and postseason
The TGL regular season points system resembles the NHL: A win in regulation or overtime is worth 2 points, a loss in overtime is good for 1 point, and of course, a loss in regulation is worth 0 points.
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams on the points list advance to the playoffs. The semifinals will be single elimination and the finale, the Championship Series, will be a best-of-three competition. More details will be released on the postseason.
Venue
SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, is a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue that will accommodate approximately 1,600 people on match nights during TGL’s inaugural season. The tech-infused course is roughly the size of a football field.
Players will hit tee and approach shots from real grass tee boxes, fairway surfaces, rough, and sand on long shots into a 64×46-foot screen (roughly 20 times a standard simulator) powered by Full Swing technology.
For shots within 50 yards or less, players will transition from Screenplay to Greenplay to a custom-built “Green Zone” that is larger than four basketball courts and includes three 15×27 foot Virtual Greens, also by Full Swing. Each green features 189 actuators and jacks that change the slope of the green to create a variety of play on every TGL hole.
Weekly fields and teams
The league is comprised of six teams of four players. The two competing teams will name their three players ahead of each match, and all six will be mic’d up during the competition.
Team names, brands, front office staff and players will all be announced later this year. All 24 players have already been announced, same with five of the six team ownership groups:
Atlanta Drive GC: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA Tour Superstores)
TGL Boston: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing)
Los Angeles Golf Club: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City FC), Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco and Michelle Wie West
TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures
TGL San Francisco: a group led by Avenue Sports Fund’s Marc Lasry, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson
