Tuesday, March 26, 2024

TGL Presented by SoFi Announces Inaugural 2025 Season Launch Dates

TGL presented by SoFi, the new team golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports, officially announced its inaugural season launch for the first three Tuesdays of January 2025, kicking off Tuesday, Jan. 7 in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+ in the U.S. Presented by SoFi, the all-in-one bank and personal finance company, TGL consists of six teams of PGA TOUR superstars competing in a progressive, fast-paced form of team golf within the custom-built SoFi Center, a 250,000 square foot venue on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

The launch of TGL’s inaugural season will benefit from promotion during ESPN’s comprehensive coverage of the NFL Playoffs and new 12-team College Football Playoff. At this time of year, ESPN’s coverage includes TGL’s week 2 match on Tuesday, Jan 14, the night following ESPN’s Monday Night Football Wild Card Playoff game, and TGL’s week 3 match on Tuesday, Jan 21, the night following ESPN’s coverage of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. ESPN’s NFL Playoff game and College Football National Championship Game are traditionally the network’s most-watched games each year and drive January as the network’s most-watched month.

“As we plan the 2025 launch of TGL presented by SoFi, we now have the first three Tuesdays in January circled to introduce sports fans to this new form of team golf. January is a tremendous time of year for fans looking for prime time sports and TGL’s launch will complement the start of the PGA TOUR season and take advantage of ESPN’s promotional machine across their coverage of the NFL and college football playoffs,” said Mike McCarley, founder and CEO of TMRW Sports. “We’re grateful for our tremendous partner SoFi, who shares in our vision to harness technology to create new approaches within traditional institutions. As construction proceeds on SoFi Center, we’re eager to introduce sports fans to TGL as we focus on the league’s debut this coming January.”

“From our very first conversation, there’s been a natural alignment between TGL’s innovative, tech-forward approach to golf with SoFi’s similar approach to helping millions get their money right with our digital all-in-one banking and financial services platform,” said SoFi CEO Anthony Noto. “Investing in sports like our partnerships with the NFL and the NBA has proven unequivocally valuable, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with TMRW Sports to bring the SoFi Center and TGL to life.”

TGL’s Technology Creates Progressive, Fast-Paced Version of Team Golf

SoFi Center is an unprecedented, tech-infused arena for golf and will create an intimate and unique “greenside” fan experience with 1,500 seats wrapping around TGL’s field of play, which at 97 yards long and 50 yards wide is almost the size of a football field. New design plans for SoFi Center’s steel-supported structure have been officially unveiled with today’s announcement.

Within TGL’s competitive matches, the integration of the league’s technology mix starts with teams teeing off from real grass tee boxes to play custom-designed, virtual holes projected onto a 3,000-square-foot screen (64’x46’), more than 20 times larger than a standard golf simulator screen (144 square feet, 16’x9’). Once teams are inside approximately 50 yards they will transition to live action and finish each hole within TGL’s GreenZone, a 22,475-square-foot short game complex that transforms between holes. The GreenZone will use advanced technology to make each hole a unique challenge for the teams, including its 41-yard-wide turntable that rotates the green and three bunkers to change approach angles and using nearly 600 motorized actuators as part of Full Swing’s Virtual Green technology embedded under the synthetic putting surface to morph its topography.

TGL’s technology mix allows for every shot to be broadcast live, teams playing within a 40-second shot clock, all players being mic’d, delivery of advance shot data, and other broadcast enhancements. To learn more about TGL and the six teams, competitive format, and technology, visit TGL’s Explainer Page.

Image Credits: TGL presented by SoFi

Team brands and community-building activities for TGL’s six inaugural teams will continue to be unveiled this year, as will the season schedule and other fan-centric elements. Each TGL team is comprised of four PGA TOUR players and will have three players compete in each match:

  • Atlanta Drive GC: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA TOUR Superstores).

Team Roster: Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel, and Lucas Glover

·         Boston Common Golf: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing).

Team Roster: Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and fourth team member to be announced.

·         Jupiter Links Golf Club: led by Tiger Woods’ TGR Ventures and David Blitzer (Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Devils, Cleveland Guardians, Washington Commanders, Crystal Palace FC, Real Salt Lake).

Team Roster: Tiger Woods and remaining roster to be announced.

·         Los Angeles Golf Clubled by Alexis Ohanian, Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco, Michelle Wie West, and Tisha Alyn.

Team Roster: Tommy Fleetwood, Sahith Theegala, Collin Morikawa, and Justin Rose

·         TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures. Team Name and Roster: To be announced.

·         TGL San Francisco: a group led by Avenue Sports Fund with Marc Lasry, Stephen Curry; as well as limited partners Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson.

Team Name and Roster: To be announced.

·         Additional Committed TGL Players: Wyndham Clark, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Kim, Cameron Young, Min Woo Lee, Rickie Fowler, Shane Lowry, and Kevin Kisner.

 

About TMRW Sports: (pronounced “tomorrow sports”)

Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and sports executive Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports is focused on harnessing technology to build progressive approaches in sports, media, and entertainment that inspire the modern sports fan to create deeper connections with technology and culture. TMRW Sports’ first project, TGL presented by SoFi, is a new team golf league launched in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TMRW Sports is supported by a powerful and diverse roster of athletes, celebrities, and business leaders from the worlds of sports, media, technology, and finance. TMRW Sports joins Woods’ TGR Ventures and McIlroy’s Symphony Ventures, and is led by McCarley, founder and CEO. For more, visit TMRWSportsGroup.com.

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