Tiger, Rory Delay TGL League Launch to 2025 After Facility Damaged
TGL, the team golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, is delaying its launch by a year—to early 2025—after an equipment malfunction at its Florida facility.
The six-team league, which includes owners from across major U.S. sports, was set to launch in January 2024. Earlier this month, a power system failure at the event’s custom venue caused the domed roof to deflate, resulting in other damage. No one was injured in the dome collapse, according to a statement from TGL.
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TGL said Monday that it made the decision to postpone after discussions with its six teams, players, the PGA Tour, its presenting sponsor (SoFi), its media partner (ESPN) and Palm Beach State College, the site of the facility.
“This decision came after reviewing short-term solutions, potential construction timelines, player schedules, and the primetime sports television calendar,” the statement said. “Despite this new timeline for the venue, we remain excited about the future of TGL and will continue to build excitement between now and the start of the season with our players, fans and teams. We have begun to update plans and timelines and are confident that the extension will only improve our delivery.”
TGL, a partnership between TMRW Sports and the PGA Tour, is hoping to use new technology, a shorter format and the custom-built venue to package golf in a brand-new way. Its gameplay will feature a mixture of augmented reality (in a large simulator screen) and actual chipping and putting around a tech-laden green. Golfers committed to the league include Woods, McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas.
Financial details of the ownership transactions haven’t been announced or reported. Each founding club will hold a 3% stake in the single-entity league, and will participate in TGL-wide revenue sharing, according to an investor deck viewed earlier this year by Sportico. (There is also a 10% player pool, and 54% held by TMRW Sports, so Woods and McIlroy may technically hold equity in multiple different ways).
The six inaugural TGL ownership groups feature several big names among the owners:
– Atlanta: led by Arthur Blank and AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons).
– Boston: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, Liverpool FC). LPs include McIlroy.
– Jupiter: Tiger Woods, David Blitzer (Philadelphia 76ers).
– Los Angeles: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City), Serena Williams and Venus Williams. LPs include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Alex Morgan and Michelle Wie West.
– New York: Led by Steve Cohen and Cohen Private Ventures (New York Mets).
– San Francisco: Led by Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund and Steph Curry. LPs include Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson.
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