Format Revealed for New Tech-Infused Golf League Started by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

TGL, the primetime indoor golf league started by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, will use a format called “modern day match play” when the circuit starts on Jan. 9, 2024. 

According to an official TGL release, the 15-match regular season with feature two-hour-long matches comprised of two “sessions.” Each match will include two teams going head to head, with each team selecting three of its four members to compete. A total of six PGA Tour players will be present during each match, which seemingly leaves room for scheduling and travel conflicts. 

The first session of each TGL match will feature nine holes of “Triples,” a three vs. three, team alternate-shot format. During the second session, just six holes will be played, this time in a head-to-head format. Each player will have two designated holes in Session 2. 

In the result of a tie, players will participate in a shootout-style tiebreaker. A closest-to-the-pin contest will determine the winner. If a team hits two consecutive shots closer than their opponents, it wins the match. 

Season-long points will be allotted as follows: Two points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one point for a loss in overtime, and no points for a regulation loss. 

At the end of the 15 regular season matches, the top four teams in the standings will advance to the playoffs. The playoffs will be single-elimination, featuring a “best-of-three” structure.

Although the TGL matches will be conducted in a stadium, players will hit from real grass and sand on a football-field sized surface that includes a 64-foot-high simulator. For short game shots within 50 yards, players will hit into a dynamic putting surface that shifts to create varying slopes and breaks. Created by Full Swing simulators, the short game complex will be called the “Green Zone.” 

So far, five TGL teams have been announced: Boston Common, Los Angeles Golf Club, Atlanta Drive GC and yet-to-be-named teams from New York and San Francisco. 

On Monday, TGL unveiled the logo design for the Boston team, which is owned by Fenway Sports Group. 

Twenty-four PGA Tour players are set to be a part of the new Monday-night circuit, which will be broadcast on ESPN and ESPN+. 

The custom-built arena in Palm Beach will hold 1,600 fans.