Tiger Woods is set to make his first appearance in the new indoor TMRW Golf League during the second week of the season, as part of a schedule that was released on Monday. The league, featuring six teams, is scheduled to wrap up its inaugural season on ESPN, just two weeks ahead of the Masters Tournament.
Rory McIlroy, who is a co-owner of TMRW Sports alongside Woods, won’t join the competition until the fourth week, as he is participating in the European tour event in Dubai.
The TGL will kick off on January 7, at the SoFi Center located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. This arena is approximately the size of a football field and can accommodate around 1,500 fans.
Each of the four-man teams includes three players who will engage in 15-hole matches that combine both virtual and live golf elements. Players will hit longer shots into a massive 3,400-square-foot screen, which is about 24 times larger than a typical golf simulator. For shots from 50 yards and closer, actual golf shots will be played onto a versatile 41-yard turntable green that can offer various shot options.
The inaugural match will feature New York Golf Club, captained by Xander Schauffele, going up against The Bay Golf Club from San Francisco, which is led by Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark. This match is scheduled for 9 p.m., following a college basketball game.
Woods and his Jupiter Golf Club team will take the field during the second week, the day after the last NFL wild card playoff game on Monday night.
A significant aspect of this innovative indoor league is its broadcast on ESPN, with the first six weeks of TGL being aired right after football weekends. TMRW Sports is banking on promotional opportunities during college football and NFL broadcasts to draw viewership.
While weekday golf exhibitions have been around for a long time, from events like the “Showdown at Sherwood” with Woods and David Duval, to more recent matches involving top PGA Tour stars, TGL presents a new concept with unique pacing. The format includes nine holes of alternating shots between three players and six holes of singles play, all governed by a 40-second shot clock to maintain a two-hour match window.
Mike McCarley, the CEO and founder of TMRW Sports, who previously worked at Golf Channel, described the league as a “live, courtside experience for golf on an unprecedented scale.”
McCarley emphasized that TGL will function as a complementary fast-paced team competition alongside the PGA Tour. The regular season will conclude on March 4, followed by semifinals on March 17 and 18, after The Players Championship, and the best-of-three finals occurring on March 24-25.
Each team will compete five times throughout the regular season. The schedule was crafted based on input from the 24 players, taking into account their touring plans. Notably, McIlroy, the defending champion of the Dubai Desert Classic, has his Boston Common Golf team starting its season a bit later, on January 27.
Hideki Matsuyama, also part of the Boston team, will participate in the first two weeks of competitions in Hawaii. Five competitors from the opening TGL match will head to Florida directly from The Sentry, which is the PGA Tour’s season opener taking place at Kapalua on Maui.