TGL
The TGL golf league — helmed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy — begins its inaugural season Tuesday night when New York Golf Club takes on The Bay Golf Club in the first-ever match held at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. After a year-long delay, construction hurdles and roster movement, the TGL is finally here.
So, what can golf fans expect?
Enhanced simulator golf matches will last roughly two hours taking place primarily in primetime on either Monday or Tuesday nights from January through March. There will be15 regular-season matches, a four-team playoff and a best-of-three finals that will crown the first TGL champion.
The opening match pits Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick of New York Golf Club against Wyndham Clark, Shane Lowry and Ludvig Åberg of The Bay Golf Club. Native New Yorker Cameron Young will sit the first match for his squad, while Min Woo Lee does the same for the team repping the Bay Area.
Matches will be played over 15 holes and split up into two playing formats. The first session will see teams work together in an alternate shot-style format before transitioning to singles matches for the second session. The team with the most points at the end of the match will win. Similar to hockey, TGL match wins are worth two points, overtime losses are worth one point and regulation losses are worth zero points.
Where to watch TGL
Date: Tuesday, Jan. 7 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: SoFi Center — Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
TGL format
TGL matches will take place across 15 holes and two sessions. Players will hit full-swing shots off grass, rough or sand into a simulator screen with short-game shots under 50 yards and putts taking place inside the SoFi Center on a rotating, adjustable green. There are a few added wrinkles as well including timeouts, a shot clock and a hammer, so let’s dive into them all.
Holes Nos. 1-9 — Triples (3 vs. 3 alternate shot): Two teams of three will face off in alternate shot across the first session. Let’s say Fowler hits the tee shot on No. 1. Fitzpatrick will then hit the approach shot and Schauffele will strike the first putt. This rotation will continue until the hole is complete.
Holes Nos. 10-15 — Singles (head-to-head play): After nine holes of Triples, players will take to Singles, which is exactly what it sounds like. An individual from one team will play a hole against an individual from the other with the winner earning a point. All three players will play a hole before the cycle begins again on hole Nos. 13-15.
Overtime: 3 vs. 3 closet-to-the-pin competition
Scoring: Each hole is worth one point with ties worth zero. There are no carryovers.
The Hammer: Each hole in a TGL match is worth one point unless a team decides to literally throw the “hammer” (not an actual hammer), which doubles the point value of that hole. A team can either accept the hammer and play that hole for two points or deny it and concede the hole. Each time the hammer is used within a match, it will change possession.
Shot clock: Players will have 40 seconds to hit their shots or face a one-stroke penalty.
Timeouts: Each team has four timeouts per match — two in Triples and two in Singles. There are no carryovers from session to session.
TGL schedule
MatchDateTimeTVTeams1
Tues, Jan. 7
9 p.m.
ESPN
New York Golf Club vs. The Bay Golf Club
2
Tues, Jan. 14
7 p.m.
ESPN
Los Angeles Golf Club vs. Jupiter Links Golf Club
3
Tues, Jan. 21
7 p.m.
ESPN
New York Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC
4
Mon, Jan. 27
6:30 p.m.
ESPN
Jupiter Links Golf Club vs. Boston Common Golf
5
Tues, Feb. 4
9 p.m.
ESPN
Boston Common Golf vs. Los Angeles Golf Club
6
7
8
Mon, Feb. 17
1 p.m.
4 p.m.
7 p.m.
ESPN
ESPN
ESPN2Atlanta Drive GC vs. Los Angeles Golf Club
Atlanta Drive GC vs. The Bay Golf Club
The Bay Golf Club vs. Boston Common Golf
9
Tues, Feb. 18
7 p.m.
ESPN
Jupiter Links Golf Club vs. New York Golf Club
10
11
Mon, Feb. 24
5 p.m.
9 p.m.
ESPN2
ESPN2
Los Angeles Golf Club vs. New York Golf Club
Boston Common Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC
12
Tues, Feb. 25
9 p.m.
ESPN
The Bay Golf Club vs. Jupiter Links Golf Club
13
14
Mon, Mar. 3
3 p.m.
7 p.m.
ESPN2
ESPN2
The Bay Golf Club vs. Los Angeles Golf Club
New York Golf Club vs. Boston Common Golf
15
Tues, Mar. 4
7 p.m.
ESPN
Jupiter Links Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC
Semi 1
Mon, Mar. 17
7 p.m.
ESPN2
TBD
Semi 2
Tues, Mar. 18
7 p.m.
ESPN
TBD
Finals 1
Mon, Mar. 24
7 p.m.
ESPN2
TBD
Finals 2
Finals 3Tues, Mar. 257 p.m.
9 p.m.ESPN
ESPNTBD
TGL teams
TeamPlayersAtlanta Drive GC
Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Lucas Glover
Boston Common Golf
Keegan Bradley, Rory McIlroy, Hideki Matsuyama, Adam Scott
Jupiter Links Golf Club
Tom Kim, Tiger Woods, Max Homa, Kevin Kisner
Los Angeles Golf Club
Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Tommy Fleetwood
New York Golf Club
Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young
The Bay Golf Club
Min Woo Lee, Ludvig Åberg, Wyndham Clark, Shane Lowry
TGL season-long odds, predictions
- Los Angeles GC: +340
- Boston Common GC: +350
- New York GC: +380
- Atlanta Drive GC: +450
- The Bay GC: +470
- Jupiter Links GC: +650
Collin Morikawa’s Los Angeles Golf Club is a slight favorite over McIlroy’s Boston Common, but there is another team a little further down that may make some noise. Atlanta Drive has exhibition golf extraordinaire, Justin Thomas, match-play savant Patrick Cantlay, a top flusher in Lucas Glover and a total grinder in Billy Horschel. If they play their cards right, they can easily win the crown by season’s end.
