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- TGL will start events in 2024
- Woods and McIlroy to be joined by nine other PGA Tour players
TMRW Sports co-founders Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have broken ground on the planned venue for their tech-focused ‘TGL’ golf competition at Palm Beach State College.
The ceremony is a significant step forward for the venture, which plans to stage a series of one-day events at a dedicated arena on the ten-acre site in Florida from early 2024.
Technology is a foundational element of TGL which hopes its innovative, shorter format, coupled with some of the leading players in the sport, will appeal to a wider audience and provide further earning opportunities for golfers in the face of competition from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
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Each event promises to last just two hours, taking place on a data-driven virtual course and a short game complex hosting putting and chipping. The planned arena will bring fans closer to the players, who will also wear microphones so fans can hear the logic behind decision making.
In addition to Woods and McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Adam Scott, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele have signed up as participants.
Both Woods and McIlroy have been two of the most outspoken critics of LIV Golf, which has lured players away from the PGA Tour with huge contracts and a pledge to use new formats and digital innovations to engage fans.
Other TMRW Sports investors include Formula One drivers Lewis Hamilton, Alex Albon, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, as well as the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Stephen Curry, the National Football League’s (NFL) Josh Allen, Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Trea Turner, the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Sidney Crosby, US soccer star Alex Morgan and tennis icon Venus Williams.
Connect Ventures, 25madison Ventures, Apex Capital, Excel Sports Management and Misfits Gaming Group are also on board.
SportsPro says…
For many years, golf has been touting the idea of the ‘connected course’, with major events using networking technologies, the Internet of Things (IoT) and mobile apps to bring fans closer to live events.
The PGA Tour and others have also looked to implement technologies such as real time shot tracking and data analytics in a bid to make the sport’s intricacies easier to understand. TMRW Sports’ technology-driven venue will bring many of these innovations to life like never before – perhaps in any sport.
Many rights holders talk about how technology is central to their plans to attract audiences and build their sport. If TMRW Sports can fulfill its vision, it could be an example for the rest to follow.
