The tech-driven TGL golf league, the brainchild of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy is the talk of the golfing world this week. The league features six teams including four PGA Tour players and each match features three mic'd-up players who have 40 seconds to hit their shots into the whopping 64ft x 53ft simulator at the state-of-the-art SoFi Center in Florida.
The opening match received mixed reviews, so only time will tell whether the weekly televised matches, running until 25 March, will achieve longevity and fulfil the league’s goal of engaging a new audience and growing the game. With that in mind, how on earth are there no women involved?
The TGL action unfolds over two hours in front of a live audience, so it's easy to envision how this league has the potential to evolve into a genuine family-oriented experience with adults and children alike rallying behind their favourite teams.
Yes, competition among the golfers will undoubtedly be fierce with prize money on the line, but with the incorporation of technology driven golf, it definitely creates a more relaxed and fun atmosphere.
This is exactly why I believe there would be even more compelling reasons to give an opportunity to players like World No1 Nelly Korda, Charley Hull, Lydia Ko, Lilia Vu, Ruoning Yin, among others, to showcase the quality of women's golf to this new audience. Many of these players are based in Florida, and with the LPGA Tour not resuming until late January, they would likely have been available.
Let’s not forget the 2023 Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas when Lexi Thompson made headlines as the seventh woman to participate in a PGA Tour event. Although her invitation initially sparked criticism, with concerns raised about potentially denying a male player the chance to earn prize money and FedEx Cup points, Shriners' decision ultimately proved to be a strategic success. Thompson's involvement significantly elevated the tournament's visibility, attracting substantial crowds and generating unprecedented publicity.
From grassroots to tour level, making the game more inclusive with less segregation is key. While I have every confidence that Woods, McIlroy, and former NBC Sports executive Mike McCarley, the trio behind the company TMRW Sports that's overseeing the new league, are strong supporters of women's golf, if they had extended invitations to female professionals, it would have been a powerful endorsement of male allies, significantly reinforcing the advocacy supported by women's golf and other women's sports.
Who knows all the whys and wherefores of how this league came to fruition, but what we do know is that there’s some serious investment into this league from big names in the sport and entertainment industries such as Justin Timberlake, tennis players Serena Williams and Andy Murray, NBA basketball players including four-time NBA champions Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, Chris Paul and Jayson Tatum, Los Angeles Dodgers baseball star Trea Turner and ice hockey's three-time Stanley Cup champion Sidney Crosby.
All being well, the league will be a resounding success, and perhaps at some point in the future the door will be pushed ajar for women to sign up for a women’s team or a mixed league. Let’s wait and see, because as we know, when it comes to women’s golf, we have to be patient!
