In a press release this morning, the PGA has announced the TGL, a tech-infused golf league where six teams of three PGA stars will compete against each other on primetime television. With Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy already committed to competing in the TGL, the stars seem bright for this one-of-a-kind golf experience. As the LIV Golf League implements more fan interaction into their tournaments, the PGA is obviously attempting to duplicate those experiences while preserving the integrity of tournaments that have been around for nearly a century.
The TGL will start in January of 2024 and have fifteen regular season matches – played on virtual courses – before the semifinal and championship rounds. Now, very few details have been released about the nature of these virtual courses, but I really hope it isn’t some range simulator that middle-aged men have to hide from their wives in the basement. Even I’ll admit it, anything with Tiger Woods I’m gonna watch, but are millions of Americans really about to watch these guys hit virtual drives? Too bad Bryson Dechambeau left for LIV because I’m pretty confident that he would put holes in whatever simulator the TGL is about to use.
I’ll be interested to see who fills the remaining sixteen spots in the TGL, but I’m guessing the rosters will be pretty loaded. Personally, I really want to see these guys get heated and talk some serious shit to each other, and I think a surefire way to guarantee that is to throw Scottie Schefler and Cameron Smith in the mix. After rumors arose that Smith was debating on leaving the PGA for the LIV Tour, Scheffler walked in his putting line (big no-no) during the FedEx Championship this month. If they do this right, the TGL could change the dynamic of golf forever, making it a much more intense and widely-viewed sport. But, even if the TGL ends up being a total dumpster fire, at least I’ll have something to watch once football ends.
