TGL golf league made its much anticipated debut on Tuesday after a year-long delay.
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Wood’s new venture got underway as The Bay Golf Club defeated New York Golf Club in the debut event at the Sofi Centre in Florida.
Offaly native Shane Lowry, and teammates Ludvig Åberg and Wyndham Clark made light work of Xander Schauffele, Rickie Fowler and Matt Fitzpatrick after a 9-2 win.
The golf league was postponed for a year until 2025 after the purpose-built Sofi Arena sustained severe damage as the white roof had fallen through after a storm.
And the league’s debut and received a mixed reactions after its opening night from fans on social media.
The indoor league combines virtual golf with the real deal as competitors aim their tee and approach shots at a 60 foot screen which mimics whichever course they’re ‘playing’.
A strict 40-second shot clock is enforced for each player, and penalties are applied for exceeding the time limit, encouraging quick decisions and maintaining the match’s tempo.
The format is as follows. A three-man alternate shot for nine holes, followed by six holes of singles, in which one player from each team faces another one-on-one.
Each of the three player’s play two singles holes. Each hole is worth one point. In the event of a tie after 15 holes, a three-man closest-to-the-pin competition will decide the winner.
A match win in regulation or overtime is worth two points, while a loss in overtime earns one point. A regulation loss earns zero points.
PURSE
TGL offers a whopping $21 million purse that is up for grabs, with a $9 million payout awarded to the winning team at the end of the season.
That’s $2.25 million for each of the four players on the winning team at the season’s end.
TGL SHEDULE
Regular season
January 7: New York GC v The Bay GC
January 14: Los Angeles GC v Jupiter Links GC
January 21: New York GC v Atlanta Drive GC
January 27: Jupiter Links GC v Boston Common GC
February 4: Boston Common GC v Los Angeles GC
February 17: Atlanta Drive GC v Los Angeles GC, Atlanta Drive GC v The Bay GC, The Bay GC v Boston Common GC
February 18: Jupiter Links GC v New York GC
February 24: Los Angeles GC v New York GC, Boston Common GC v Atlanta Drive GC
February 25: The Bay GC v Jupiter Links GC
March 3: The Bay GC v Los Angeles GC, New York GC v Boston Common GC
March 4: Jupiter Links GC v Atlanta Drive GC
Post-Season
Semifinals: March 17, March 18
Finals Series: March 24, March 25
