Short matches and fanatical audience

Golf wants to compete with major court sports such as soccer and basketball.

To achieve this, top golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have announced a new competition in which the stars of the PGA Tour will compete in teams of three in purpose-built indoor venues. With a fanatical audience close to the players.

“We all know what it’s like when you’re on a soccer field or a basketball court where you can watch the action happening in front of you every minute,” Woods says. He also wants the same effect in golf, and according to him this is not possible in the traditional mode.

The competition should start in January 2024. The goal is for the matches, which last two hours, to take place on Monday evenings and broadcast at prime-time television. Technology plays an important role in this project, which is a collaboration between golf regulator PGA and TMRW Sports (pronounced: Tomorrow Sports). Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are the founders of TMRW.

In the presentation, McIlroy and PGA both expressed the expectation that a new audience could be tapped into with this new competition called TGL. “We combine a sport with 600 years of history with technology on a large stage, designed for prime-time live competition,” the PGA said.

McIlroy says he’s been working with Woods on the project for two years. He believes it is important for the new competition to coexist with the PGA Tour. “It’s a great opportunity for players to present themselves in a different way and to attract a new audience.”

The announcement of the PGA’s revolutionary concept comes two months after the launch of the LIV Golf Tour. The LIV round is controversial because it is funded by investors from Saudi Arabia and the prize money is very high.

The PGA is also strongly against the LIV Tour and has decided to impose a suspension and fine on participating golfers.

The LIV Tour consists of eight tournaments in Europe, Asia and America. For each tournament, 48 golfers will share a prize pool of approximately $25 million. The winner will receive just under $4 million, while the latter number still receives more than a ton. It’s a lot more than what can be earned in a PGA.

LIV uses a number of new game variations. This is how teams play and there is no Cuts.

It is not clear what role the technology will play in the new PGA golf competition, but it will be played on a “data-rich virtual course”.

It is also unclear which other players will participate, and how they will be distributed to the teams. More names to come, Woods and McIlroy promise, as well as more details on what TGL will look like.

It is already clear that fifteen matches will take place during the first season, followed by a semi-final and a final.