ESPN to broadcast Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new indoor golf league

ESPN will broadcast every episode of next year’s Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy Indoor Golf League TGL, a major coup for the league. Competition begins in January and includes 15 weeks of regular season, followed by playoffs.

TGL, a joint venture between Woods, McIlroy and the PGA Tour, features teams of PGA Tour players competing on an arena with a virtual course and a physical putting green. Players who have announced their participation include Woods, McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, and Rickie Fowler. , including Billy Horschel. Players compete in teams of three he in front of a live audience and all players are fitted with microphones.

Players are distributed among six teams. Four of his companies have already established ownership. TGL Atlanta is owned by Falcons owner Arthur Blank, TGL Boston is owned by Fenway Sports Group, Los Angeles Golf Club is owned by Serena and Venus Williams, and TGL New York is owned by the Mets. , owned by Steve Cohen.

The partnership with ESPN is a huge boost for the league. LIV Golf, another relatively new golf tour, has struggled to draw viewers to its YouTube channel and CW broadcasts. While TGL would benefit from being promoted during the NFL Playoffs and College Football’s National Championship, the league believes its technical elements and compressed broadcast time slots will be better suited to the perspectives and schedules of sports fans in the 2020s. The company emphasizes that it was made with the hope that it would fit more snugly.

ABC will air a preview program on December 30th. Regular season games will be held on Tuesdays in a two-hour time slot. ESPN will televise the first two games. The first week will air on January 9th, the day after the National Championship, and the second week will air on January 16th, the day after ESPN airs the NFL Wild Card Game.

TGL’s full schedule will be announced at a later date and will run through the winter.