The indoor simulator league’s name comes from TMRW Sports, a company founded by McIlroy, Tiger Woods and former NBC director of golf Mike McCarley is to focus on creating “technology-enabled ventures” in sports and entertainment.
However, both Woods and McIlroy will not compete on opening night – a year late – when New York Golf Club takes on The Bay Golf Club on Tuesday night in Florida in front of 1,500 spectators for 15 holes.
Instead, New York’s Rickie Fowler, Matt Fitzpatrick and Xander Schauffele will face The Bay’s Ludvig Aberg, Shane Lowry and Wyndham Clark in alternating triples and singles, with each hole worth a point.
If the teams are tied at the end of regulation time, the winners will be determined by a competition on the nearest pitch.
Woods will play in week two at his Jupiter Links golf club, then in week four against McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf, with the top four of six teams advancing to the playoffs.
“The first thing I want people to know is that it’s golf, but it’s been reinvented and it’s kind of an attempt to bring golf into the 21st century,” McIlroy said.
“We have teams and obviously it’s a lot of technology, trying to bring it into the digital age. A lot of things we picked up from other sports, like the shot clock, timeouts and things you don’t see in regular golf.”
The delay in TGL’s launch was due to the facility’s roof collapsing during a storm that hit Palm Beach County, although Woods called it a “blessing in disguise” because it allowed more time to produce a better product.
“Tiger and I have been involved in this since day one, and every time you see the concepts and the visuals, you think, ‘Yeah, that looks really cool,’” McIlroy said ESPN.
– But not until you actually stand here [the SoFi Center] and you see what they were able to do, I think the scale of it is the thing that impresses me.”
Players will hit tee boxes with real grass, fairway, rough and sand on tee shots and approach shots into a 19.5 x 16 m screen.
For shots from approximately 50 yards or less, the ball will be placed in the short game area, which includes the adjustable green.
“The playing surfaces are very realistic,” McIlroy added.
“Whenever you come out of a bad situation, you have to think about whether you’re going to get a flier or you’re going to get a soft one. There are a lot of things you would have to think about on a real golf course. ”
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