Golf is getting a new look with TGL, a new tech-forward team golf league that was developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The league looks to bring the excitement of seeing the best players in the world go up against each other in match play formats, but in a shorter time frame than a traditional tournament on the PGA Tour and in a specifically designed arena.
"TGL is the next evolution within professional golf, and I am committed to helping lead it into the future," said Tiger Woods when the league was first announced in 2022. "Embracing technology to create this unique environment gives us the ability to move our sport into primetime on a consistent basis alongside so many of sports’ biggest events."
When is the TGL going to launch? Who is playing in the TGL? And where can you watch TGL events? We've got all that information and more right here for you.
TGL launch date
After the launch of the TGL was delayed from its planned January 2024 launch, the new golf league is now set to get going in January 2025, with its first match confirmed for Tuesday, January 7, 2025.
The second and third match of the TGL have been scheduled for January 14 and January 21, 2025. Additional schedule info and who will be competing in the matches will be revealed at a later date.
TGL players
With six teams competing in TGL, here are the announced rosters for each:
Atlanta Drive GC
- Justin Thomas
- Patrick Cantlay
- Billy Horschel
- Lucas Glover
Boston Commons Golf
- Rory McIlroy
- Keegan Bradley
- Adam Scott
Jupiter Links GC
- Tiger Woods
Los Angeles Golf Club
- Collin Morikawa
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Justin Rose
- Sahith Theegala
New York
- Team TBA
San Francisco
- Team TBA
While we're waiting for some more team assignments, here are the rest of the players that have been confirmed as participating in TGL:
- Wyndham Clark
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Rickie Fowler
- Max Homa
- Tom Kim
- Kevin Kisner
- Min Woo Lee
- Shane Lowry
- Xander Schauffele
- Cam Young
One additional note, all the players will be mic'd up when they are playing.
TGL teams
Just like with the players, we are still waiting on the final details for the teams, as right now four have been announced. However, we don't know who are on the teams or what the official team nicknames are. So, as of right now, the four teams are known as:
- Atlanta Drive GC
- Boston Common Golf
- Juniper Links Golf Club
- Los Angeles Golf Club
- TGL New York
- TGL San Francisco
TGL format
TGL has shared what their matches are going to look like, playing what they call "modern match play."
Two teams made up of three players each will tee off in a 15-hole match that includes nine holes of "Triples" (three vs three alternate shot) and six holes of Singles (head-to-head play). The team with the fewest shots to complete a hole earns their team one point, if the teams tie then zero points are awarded; there are no carryover points. The team with the most points at the end of the 15 holes wins. If the match is tied after 15 holes, the match will be settled with a three vs three closest to the pin challenge.
A little more on the format. With the alternate shot, let's say Tiger Woods, Justin Thomas and Justin Rose are playing as a team. Woods would tee off, then Thomas would hit the next shot, followed by Rose. If they need to hit another shot, it would go back around to Woods as the cycle restarts.
In the singles format, each players plays two holes one-on-one against the other team. So, Woods would play hole 10 and 13 one-on-one against an opposing player, Thomas hole 11 and 14, while Rose would have 12 and 15.
That is the individual game format, the overall league format sees teams earning points based on the outcome of their matches. A win (in regulation or overtime) gets a team two points, a loss in overtime nets one point and a loss in regulation earns no points.
The four teams with the most points at the end of the regular season qualify for the postseason, which will be a single elimination bracket tournament. The team with the most points will play the team with the fourth most points, while the teams with the second and third most points will play in the first round. The winner of those semifinal matches will then play in the championship.
There are also some specific rules that are being introduced (at least to golf) for the TGL. The first a shot clock, with players having 40 seconds to hit or a shot or be assessed a one-stroke penalty. Each time is also going to have four timeouts per match, two for the 3 vs 3 segment and two for the singles portion. Also, there will be a designated ref to keep on top of all the action and enforce the traditional PGA tour rules, as well as the few new ones, like the shot clock.
All matches will take place in the custom-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., which combines virtual course elements for driving and fairway shots and then a live green area for chipping and putting, all with live fans in attendance.
How to watch TGL
TGL has struck a deal with ESPN that makes the sports network the official home of TGL. All matches will air on either ESPN or ESPN2, as well as be streamed live simultaneously on ESPN Plus. Some TGL content is also expected to air on ABC.
ESPN and ESPN2 are cable networks, though they are widely available. Just about all pay-TV cable subscriptions offer the channels, while all of the major live TV streaming services also carry them (Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV). Having a subscription that carries ESPN also allows you to watch on the go, as your account info can be used to watch TGL on ESPN.com or the ESPN mobile app.
If you prefer to just sign up for the ESPN Plus streaming service rather than an entire cable package, you can subscribe to that as a standalone service or bundle it with Disney Plus and Hulu through the Disney Bundle.
Info on where and how golf fans outside of the US can watch TGL isn't available at this time.
