Tiger Woods of the United States and Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walk to the 11th fairway during a practice round ahead of the 2023 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 3, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.
Christian Petersen | Getty Images Sports | Getty Images
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s indoor golf league, TGL, has postponed its inaugural season for a year until early 2025, the organization announced Monday.
The decision comes after the construction of the roof of the new arena planned to host TGL matches. collapsed last week. The league said the electrical system used during construction of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., failed, causing the dome structure to deflate.
The accident did not cause injuries or damage the league’s golf simulators or other technology, TGL said. But TGL delayed the season, which was due to start in January, after discussions with key partners.
“This decision came after reviewing short-term solutions, potential construction timelines, player schedules and the timing of prime-time sports broadcasts,” the league said in a statement. “We are convinced that this extension will only improve our services.”
TGL, which counts the PGA Tour as a partner, was founded by McIlroy, Woods and former NBC executive Mike McCarthy. The trio wants to create a prime-time indoor golf league to attract new fans to the sport, while the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, then its proposed merger with the PGA Tour, have left golf at a crossroads.
Woods was optimistic about the future of the league despite the delayed launch.
“Although the events of the past week will force us to make adjustments to our schedule, I have full confidence that this concept will be brought to fruition by our committed great players,” Woods said in a statement Monday.
TGL has attracted some of the best golfers in the world as part of its programming. It is unclear how the new schedule might affect player participation.
The league has also attracted a number of high-profile team owners and investors, including hedge funds. Steve CohenArthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, Fenway Sports Grouptechnology founder Alexis Ohanian and tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. Other league investors Among them are basketball great Stephen Curry, racing driver Lewis Hamilton, soccer player Alex Morgan, singer Justin Timberlake and professional soccer players Tony Romo and Josh Allen.
TGL has signed a multi-year media rights agreement with ESPN in October to broadcast its events.
ESPN said it fully supports the decision to postpone the 2024 season.
“We believed in them and their vision from the beginning, and that hasn’t changed. The additional time to plan, test and iterate will only make it better,” said Rosalyn Durant, executive vice president of the programming and acquisitions at ESPN.
