Lianna NormanPalm Beach Post
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Everyone's heard of Monday Night Football, but soon, sports fans will also get to enjoy Monday night golf following next football season.
Starting in January, golf pros will be playing in televised virtual golf matches on Monday nights. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have made this week even more exciting for golf fans, announcing on Thursday that their tech-infused golf league, TGL, has partnered with its first team.
Only two days after the news of the PGA's fast-paced merger with LIV Golf, TGL announced that its first team partnership will be with the celebrity-owned Los Angeles Golf Club.
Here's what we know about Woods and McIlroy's new venture.
PGA Tour merger: How 2023 golfer rankings compare with LIV tour standings
How does TGL work?
Six teams of three golf pros will compete in 15 regular-season Monday night matches, followed by playoff rounds, starting in January. The matches will be played at a short-game complex infused with virtual golf tech and allow fans to see every shot live.
TGL's new techy golf tournaments will be televised and hosted at a new arena in Palm Beach Gardens, starting in January of 2024.
How does virtual golf work? Who benefits from the pros going virtual?
Indoor, virtual golf is played through a simulator. The golfer stands in an enclosure, on a hitting mat made of turf and hits the golf ball into a projector screen.
When the golfer swings, artificial intelligence analyzes the data behind his or her swing and the impact of the golf ball to calculate how their shot would land on the course. It virtually replicates a game of golf without requiring the golfer to walk the course, look for their golf ball or make it to the tee box on time. Essentially, it takes all of the manual labor out of the game and ensures the only energy golfers are spending on golfing is in perfecting their swing.
Playing a round of virtual golf is much faster than playing a round of golf on a course, because players don't need to walk the golf course or wait as long between swings. It only takes about 45 minutes to an hour to play 18 holes of golf on a simulator, as opposed to the four-plus hours it typically takes to play 18 holes on a golf course. TGL's rounds will last around two hours.
For TGL, the time difference is anticipated to boost engagement from fans. Instead of asking golf fans to come out to a golf course and follow their favorite players by walking the course, they'll get more of an arena-like experience, similar to how football or basketball fans get to experience games.
Bringing all of the fans to one room to watch a golf tournament means that each fan gets a greenside view for not just their favorite players, but all the pros playing.
How are Venus and Serena Williams and Reddit connected to Tiger Woods' new techy pro golf league?
On Thursday, Woods and McIlroy's new golf league announced its first team partnership. The Los Angeles Golf Club confirmed Thursday that it will be the first of six golf teams to sign onto TGL. The LAGC is co-owned by tennis icons Venus and Serena Williams and Reddit Founder Alexis Ohanian.
“We’re honored to welcome Alexis, Serena, and Venus as one of TGL’s original six team ownership groups,” TGL's CEO Mike McCarley said in his announcement of the partnership. “Through his ownership of Angel City FC, Alexis has established himself as a trailblazer in the Southern California professional sports scene. … Serena and Venus represent an important part of not just TGL’s mission of access to sports for kids and families, but also an important part of the spirit and purpose of LA Golf Club.”
Palm Beach Gardens will host the first TGL matches
TGL players will participate in 15 regular season matches leading up to the semi-finals and a finals round and will compete on six teams of three. TGL's first two-hour 18-hole matches will take place in Palm Beach Gardens during prime time on Monday nights, according to ESPN.
Earlier this year, TGL broke ground on a data-rich, state-of-the-art arena at Palm Beach Gardens' Palm Beach State College campus. Gardens is anticipated to host TGL's first season in 2024.
Which golf pros will be playing in TGL? (spoiler) Yes, Rickie Fowler is among them
Aside from Woods and McIlroy themselves, 10 other golf pros have already signed on to the new tech-infused league. The league's most recent player to sign on, Rickie Fowler, announced his participation in March.
The other participants include Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Justin Rose, Max Homa and Billy Horschel. Six more players will join the league between now and when its season is anticipated to start in January.
Lianna Norman covers trending news in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at lnorman@pbpost.com. You can follow her reporting on social media @LiannaNorman on Twitter.
