ESPN has secured the broadcasting rights for the inaugural season of Tiger Woods and Rory Mcllroy-founded TGL Golf.
The new tournament, a partner of PGA Tour, will be hosted in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and will include two-hour, head-to-head match-play games featuring 18 PGA Tour players divided into six teams.
Some of the players already confirmed to play include Woods and Mcllroy themselves, together with Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Adam Scott. An additional six are yet to be announced.
Mike McCarley, CEO of TGL owner TMRW Sports, commented: “ESPN has embraced the concept from our very first meeting and we’re looking forward to launching TGL in prime time on ESPN and bringing our teams of the PGA TOUR’s biggest stars to their ESPN’s legion of sports fans.
“The two-hour match format has been designed for today’s sports fan, as it’s rooted in the traditions of golf, but adds technical elements that are unique to a modern, sports arena environment.”
The schedule will see the first match played on 9 January and the second a week after – both available on ESPN and ESPN+. Dates for the other 13 games, together with the semifinal and final, will be confirmed later in time.
Rosalyn Durant, ESPN’s Executive VP, added: “TGL is going to be a two-hour presentation unlike anything you have seen before. All players will wear live microphones and viewers will have unprecedented access during competition. It’s an exciting landscape for presenting golf, and we look forward to bringing it to fans.”
