RORY MCILROY and Tiger Woods’ TGL league has experienced a significant dip in viewing figures after just three weeks of the new high-tech golf league.
The primetime simulator golf league saw a notable ratings slump in the United States after Week 3.
It drew an average of 682,000 viewers on Wednesday night in Florida, according to ESPN figures.
The number represents a 32% drop from the Week 2 peak of 1.05 million viewers.
This week’s figure also marks the league’s lowest audience to date, falling short of the 919,000 viewers who tuned in for the inaugural broadcast in Week 1.
It’s a worrying period for the McIlroy and Woods-backed venture as it strives to build a loyal fanbase.
The declining numbers raise concerns, particularly as the league struggles to maintain interest without the marquee names of Woods and McIlroy in action.
Although not entirely unexpected, the latest edition failed to generate increased viewership for Justin Thomas’ Atlanta Drive and Xander Schauffele’s NYGC.
However, a silver lining for TGL lies ahead with a marquee matchup next week.
ESPN is set to broadcast what could be the season’s biggest showdown in Week 4, featuring Tiger Woods’ team facing off against Rory McIlroy’s.
While this clash is sure to attract significant attention, the long-term goal remains to solidify a consistent fanbase week by week.
The numbers were first reported by @YeahClickClack on X.
Elsewhere, Shane Lowry had a poor start to the season after missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open.
The Irishman slumped to a three-over 75 during his second round in San Diego.
The clara ace went into the second round on the North Course at Torrey Pines needing a good day to make the weekend after opening with a level par 72 on the tougher South Course.
The North is traditionally the easier of the two layouts but with winds gusting over 30 mph at La Jolla, Lowry was blown away and shot six-over 42 on back nine.
Th final round will take place on Saturday due to the NFL playoffs.
A MAN has been arrested after a 40-year-old woman was found dead in Waterford this morning.
Gardai said the woman was pronounced dead at the scene at around 10 am on O’Brien Street, Waterford.
A man in his 30s was subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.
He is currently detained at a Garda station in the Eastern Region under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984, on suspicion of an offence under the Non-Fatal Offenses Against the Person Act.
The deceased remains at the scene, which is currently being preserved for examination by the Garda Technical Bureau.
The Office of the State Pathologist and the local Coroner have been notified.
A post-mortem examination is scheduled for tomorrow morning, Sunday, January 26.
The findings from the post-mortem will assist gardai in determining the course of their investigation.
A garda spokesperson said: “Gardai are investigating the death of a woman in her 40s following an incident in Waterford City on Saturday, January 25th, 2025.
“Shortly after 10:00am, Gardai and emergency services responded to an incident at a residence on O’Brien Street, Waterford, where the woman was found unresponsive.
“She was pronounced deceased at the scene a short time later.
“A senior investigating officer (SIO) has been appointed to lead the investigation and an incident room has been established at Waterford Garda Station.
“A family liaison officer (FLO) has also been assigned to support the family.”
Gardai said they are appealing for witnesses to contact them and are seeking any available camera footage, including dashcam recordings, from those who were in the vicinity of O’Brien Street at the time of the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Waterford Garda Station on 051 305322 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.
They added that investigations are ongoing.
Міністр закордонних справ Китаю Ван Ї та нещодавно призначений держсекретар США Марко Рубіо провели першу телефонну розмову та заявили про відповідальність їх країн за підтримання миру і стабільності у світі, однак не згадали про війну Росії проти України. Про переговори Укрінформу повідомили в МЗС КНР. Очільники зовнішньополітичних відомств відзначили телефонну розмову лідерів країн Сі Цзіньпіна […]
A MYSTERIOUS stone carved nearly 1,700 years ago has been unearthed in a region rich with Biblical history, where Jesus is said to have walked on water.
The volcanic slab, inscribed with Ancient Greek, may rewrite what we know about the Roman Empire’s reach — and the towns it controlled.
Scientists say that the basalt stone, unearthed in Upper Galilee at the site of Abel Beth Maacah, served as a boundary marker under Roman rule.
It reveals the existence of two previously unknown settlements – Tirathas and Golgol – firmly within the vast Roman Empire’s control.
The stone’s inscriptions date back 1,720 years, during the reign of Caesar Marcus Aurelius Alexander, a name familiar to fans of the original Gladiator film.
Alongside the towns’ names, it features references to four governors who managed the empire’s far-flung territories.
Professor Uzi Leibner from the Hebrew University explained the significance of such a discovery.
He said: “Finding a boundary stone like this not only sheds light on ancient land ownership and taxation but also provides a tangible connection to the lives of individuals who navigated these complex systems nearly two millennia ago.”
The discovery paints a picture of Rome’s extensive influence, stretching from Italy to the Middle East, where it governed Israel from 63 BC until 135 AD.
Residents of the region, taxed by an empire 2,500 miles away, left behind enduring traces of their lives etched into the archaeological record.
Researchers said that this stone can provide a “unique glimpse into the lives of ancient inhabitants, the pressures they faced and the enduring traces of their communities in the archaeological record.”
The names Tirathas and Golgol are entirely new to scholars.
Researchers linked Golgol linguistically and culturally to significant Biblical locations like Gilgal and Golgotha.
While Gilgal is mentioned in the Book of Joshua as a key Israelite encampment, Golgotha is famously known as the site of Jesus’ crucifixion.
Researchers have speculated that the ruins of Kh. Turritha, recorded in the late 19th century on the Lebanese side of the border, may correspond to Tirathas.
The resemblance of the names “can hardly be coincidental,” they noted, though only “large heaps of basalt stones” were documented at the time.
The search for Golgol, however, remains inconclusive.
Some scholars believe a round hill near Abel Beth Maacah could hold the answer, though no definitive archaeological link has been made.
The boundary stone adds to a collection of over 20 similar finds in the northern Hula Valley, dating to a period of heightened Roman administrative control.
These markers were used to define land ownership, streamline taxation, and enforce imperial authority.
The artifact’s placement in Galilee, where Biblical history and Roman governance collide, marks how ancient geography, economy, and culture are interconnected.
It comes after an ancient amulet once believed to have protected women and children from ‘evil spirits’ was also unveiled in the Biblical region of Galilee by archaeologists.
The 1,500-year-old artefact is called ‘Solomon’s Seal’ and was found in northern Israel by a local resident living in the village of Arbel about 40 years ago.
Meanwhile, a religious shrine sealed up by the ancestors of Jesus was discovered in the ancient heart of Jerusalem, frozen in time for nearly 3,000 years.
Carved into the rock on the east slope of the City of David, near Temple Mount, the remarkably preserved structure comprises eight rooms containing an altar and a sacred standing stone
And experts believe it may have featured in the Bible, because the partially-destroyed site lines up with the story of how Hezekiah – one of Jesus’s paternal grandfathers – smashed idolatrous places of worship.
A BRITISH lecturer at the centre of a cold case murder mystery has been detained in Thailand – six years after he denied killing his wife.
David Armitage, 62, was held by immigration officials in the town of Kanchanaburi where he has been teaching at a university for nearly 20 years.
He is now facing being deported from Thailand after a probe into his visa, according to Thai media.
If he travels back to the UK then police investigating the Lady of the Hills case plan to speak to him about the 2004 murder of his Thai wife.
The development comes more than a year after he refused to meet cops from North Yorkshire Police’s cold case unit who had travelled to Thailand in February 2023. He had agreed to speak to them but cancelled at the last minute.
Lamduan’s partially-clothed body was found in a mountain stream in the Yorkshire Dales in 2004 near the village of Horton-in-Ribblesdale.
At the time police – who were unable to identify her – treated her death as non-suspicious.
She was dubbed the Lady of the Hills by villagers who buried her in an anonymous grave in Horton in 2007.
Around a decade later North Yorkshire Police’s cold case unit launched a fresh probe and declared her death was murder.
The mother-of-three was finally identified as Lamduan after fresh police appeals.
She had moved to the UK in 1991 after marrying Armitage, who is from Burton-in-Kendal, Cumbria, in Bangkok.
They settled in Portsmouth where Armitage worked as a teacher and Lamduan washed dishes in a Thai restaurant, before moving to Rugby, Warwickshire.
The mother-of-three vanished in the summer of 2004 but was never reported missing.
The Sun tracked Armitage down to his remote home in Thailand in 2019 where he denied killing his wife.
He said there had been a whispering campaign against him in the Thai media but added: “I didn’t kill my wife. Absolutely not.
“I know the inferences are there but I’m just getting on with my life. It’s been a long time.”
Lamduan’s heartbroken mum Joomsri Seekanya, 79, revealed the last time she had spoken to her daughter was in an emotional phone call in 2004.
She said: “She said she missed home so much.
“It was a very short call. We’ve not heard from her since.”
Armitage was detained on Thursday, according to Thai media.
North Yorkshire Police said they were keen to speak to Armitage if he is deported and returns to the UK.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: “We are aware of the detention in Thailand of David Armitage, the husband of Lamduan Armitage.
“We understand it relates to his visa status and residence in Thailand and is entirely a matter for the Immigration Service of the Royal Thai Police.
“Should Mr Armitage be deported, we understand that he will have a choice as to where he goes, which will include return to the UK.
Should that occur, we will again make every effort to speak to him about the investigation.”