Get ready for the TGL on ESPN.
On Thursday it was announced that ESPN had obtained the media rights for TGL, the new tech-infused golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports. In an exclusive deal, ESPN will be home of TGL matches in the United States when the new league tees off in January 2024.
ABC will broadcast a preview show for the TGL on Saturday, Dec. 30, a week and change before the inaugural TGL match will air in prime time on ESPN on Tuesday, Jan. 9, the night after the College Football Playoff National Championship. The show will preview the new league’s first season and introduce the six teams of PGA Tour players, though 12 of the 18 competitors have already been announced. The second week of matches will air Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m. ET, the night after ESPN’s Monday Night Football NFL Wild Card game.
All matches will air on ESPN or ESPN2, with streaming on ESPN+. Initial releases from TGL and TMRW Sports stated the league would play on Monday nights, though the first two matches will be held on Tuesdays.
If you’re unfamiliar with the format, six teams of three PGA Tour players will compete in 15 regular season matches, followed by semifinals and finals matches. The matches will be played at a tech-infused, short-game complex. Fans will be able to see every shot live over a 2-hour broadcast on primetime television.
So far, four ownership groups have been announced with TGL Atlanta, TGL Boston, Los Angeles Golf Club and TGL New York.
Earlier this week the TGL announced a multi-year partnership with SoFi Technologies, a digital personal finance company. SoFi is now the presenting sponsor of TGL, and the league’s arena on the campus of Palm Beach State College will be named the SoFi Center (check it out here).