Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy indoor golf league postponed to 2025 after severe facility damage
The indoor golf league planned by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will be delayed a year after the tournament facility suffered significant damage last week.
TGL, the indoor, technology-driven golf league backed by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and a host of big-name investors, will delay its debut from the start of next year to 2025, following extensive damage to the tournament facility in Palm Beach, Fla.
The dome over the facility deflated overnight last Tuesday because of a power failure, causing widespread damage to the dome itself. TGL officials noted that there were no injuries and most of the technology within the tech-heavy facility was not affected. However, given the tight combination of repair time, synchronization of player availability and broadcast windows, TGL officials decided to delay the opening until 2025.
Drone footage of the facility makes clear the extent of the devastation from the collapsed dome, and the repair work that would be necessary:
🚨⛳️😓 #WATCH: A drone video shows the extensive damage done to the dome at the SoFi Center, home to Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new @tglgolf simulator league.
(Via: @pbpost) pic.twitter.com/t1J3kOQIlu— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) November 17, 2023
TGL released a series of prepared statements from Woods, McIlroy and others expressing confidence that the league will be stronger as a result of the delay. “The postponement brings mixed feelings of disappointment and excitement," McIlroy's statement read. "Above all, we are happy that no one was injured. We are looking forward to the launch of TGL. Given the circumstances, while the delay is disappointing, the postponement will allow us to regroup, refocus and return stronger.”
ESPN, which was slated to broadcast the matches, indicated it will remain engaged with TGL going forward. “We are partners with TGL and fully support their decision," Rosalyn Durant, ESPN EVP of Programming, said in the TGL statement. "We have believed in them and their vision from the beginning, and that has not changed. The additional time to plan, test and rehearse will only make it better. We look forward to launching the inaugural season on ESPN.”
TGL was created as a prime-time team weeknight golf event spanning the weeks between the start of the new year and the Masters. Six teams of four players each would compete throughout the season before a live audience in the technologically-enhanced facility. Major ownership figures in the NFL, MLB and other sports hold significant or complete stakes in all six of the franchise teams.
