TGL indoor golf hitting a younger audience and already contemplating expansion

Yahoo

01-04-2025

Min Woo Lee, of Australia, reacts after a putt on the 18th green to win the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Scottie Scheffler reacts after finishing his round one the 18th green during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the 17th tee during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts to a fan after putting on the 18th green during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
FILE - Kevin Kisner of Jupiter Links Golf Club watches his shot on the 11th hole on a digital screen during a match of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) against Boston Common Golf, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell,File)
FILE - Fans watch play during a match of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) between Jupiter Links Golf Club and Boston Common Golf, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell,File)
FILE - Fans watch play during a match of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) between Jupiter Links Golf Club and Boston Common Golf, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell,File)
Min Woo Lee, of Australia, reacts after a putt on the 18th green to win the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Scottie Scheffler reacts after finishing his round one the 18th green during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the 17th tee during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, reacts to a fan after putting on the 18th green during the final round of the Houston Open golf tournament in Houston, Sunday, March 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
FILE - Kevin Kisner of Jupiter Links Golf Club watches his shot on the 11th hole on a digital screen during a match of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) against Boston Common Golf, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell,File)
FILE - Fans watch play during a match of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) between Jupiter Links Golf Club and Boston Common Golf, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell,File)
For those who think golf needs a longer offseason, TGL might be the ticket.
The high-tech indoor golf league wrapped up its inaugural season last week with Billy Horschel hitting the putt heard' round the SoFi Center to lead Atlanta Drive to the title over New York.
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And now it goes away for nine months.
Mike McCarley, the co-founder of TMRW Sports with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, began taking notes even before the season started on what can be improved for 2026, whether it's technology or having players connect with their city (San Diego native Xander Schauffele plays for New York).
The average rating on ESPN platforms was just over 500,000 viewers. TMRW Sports pushes that number over 850,000 using Nielsen Big Data + Panel, which includes smart TVs along with cable boxes.
The number that stood out to McCarley was a viewing audience some 12 years younger (median age 52) than traditional golf, trailing only the NBA.
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There also were the intangibles, such as the joy Horschel and Atlanta Drive owner Arthur Blank showed when they won.
'I was visiting the locker room of the teams that won and lost. Hearing them talk about what they should do differently next year was meaningful,' McCarley said.
That indicated to him the players bought into it, even though there were times of hit-and-giggle (Woods getting the yardage wrong by 100 yards, any of Kevin Kisner's shanks).
'They started to figure out the ins and outs of competition, some of the strategy and rules, like the hammer,' he said.
TMRW Sports already is working with ESPN on a schedule for 2026, though it likely will fall into the January-March window again. Expansion is a strong possibility. One group already is planning to bid for a franchise in Dallas and has put the total investment at $77 million.
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McCarley said the six original teams — Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston and Jupiter — return with few, if any, changes to the rosters. As for more teams for 2026?
'There's been a ton of interest over the course of a season,' he said.
McCarley said at least one potential expansion group has been to every match, most of them owners of franchises in sports from cricket to soccer.
He also said TMRW Sports is exploring sites for a potential arena on the West Coast, which might help with travel. That's in the early stages and more than a year away if it happens.
And if the team concept is supposed to work, shouldn't the Atlanta Drive club of Horschel, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas and Lucas Glover get rings?
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Masters upgrade
For those who can't get enough of the Masters, Augusta National is providing more coverage than ever this year, particularly outside the ropes.
The broadcast will get an additional five hours — two hours on the weekend (noon to 2 p.m.) on the CBS streaming platform Paramount+, and starting one hour earlier than normal (2 p.m.) for Sunday.
But that's just a start. Masters.com and the Masters App is offering live streaming of the broadcast, featured coverage, interactive player tracking of every shot on every hole.
That feature also includes the driving range. Starting on Monday, users will have access to live and recorded data on every single shot from each player during their range sessions throughout the tournament. Details will include distance, carry, speed, hang time, height, curve and wind.
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Each individual shot will deliver a 3D tracing, and a full scatterplot for every player will be available from each day of their range sessions.
Also new this year is HRD Live Video for all live stream for those with compatible devices, designed to enhance color. This will also will be available on the 'Every Shot, Every Hole' videos.
For golf, it's technology unlike any other.
The $100 million dollar man
Rory McIlroy rallied to tie for fifth at the Houston Open and in doing so crossed a PGA Tour milestone that previously belonged only to Tiger Woods: The $100 million man.
McIlroy earned $337,844 in the Houston Open, taking his career earnings to $100,046,906.
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Woods, who likely is out the rest of the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon, is at $120,999,166. He has led the PGA Tour in career earnings for 25 years, having first reached the top spot after the 2000 Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines with a runner-up finish.
At the time, Woods had played only 73 times on the PGA Tour. He crossed the $100 million mark in September 2012.
Given the current state of prize money — and the state of Woods' health — McIlroy could surpass Woods at No. 1 in career earnings before he turns 40.
Of course, that assumes Scottie Scheffler doesn't get there first. Scheffler, in just his sixth season on the PGA Tour, already is No. 5 on the list with $75,134,784. He is coming off a year in which he earned just short of $30 million.
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Among players under 40, next on the list would be Jordan Spieth (No. 10) at $63,562,963.
Masters trivia time
Which country outside the United States has the most players in the Masters? Australia, Canada, England, South Korea or Spain? (Answer below)
Seminoles on the rise
The Augusta National Women's Amateur starts Thursday with a strong field highlighted by a pair of Florida State Seminoles.
One of them is Lottie Woad of England, who will try to become the first back-to-back winner of the ANWA. She won last year with a birdie putt on the 18th hole at Augusta National, which helped carry her to No. 1 in the women's amateur ranking.
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Woad might not be the best player on her Florida State team at the moment. Mirabel Ting of Malaysia is coming off her fifth college win this season at the Florida State Match Up. Ting has won five of her six college starts and is No. 3 in the amateur ranking.
Woad hasn't been too shabby. In eight college starts, Woad has won, lost in a playoff and has not finished out of the top three.
"Lottie's having an exceptional year,' Florida State coach Amy Bond told golfchannel.com. 'But Mirabel is having the season of a lifetime.'
Divots
The Masters field currently consists of 48 Americans and 48 players from a record 26 countries and territories. ... Min Woo Lee became the fifth first-time winner on the PGA Tour this year through 14 tournaments. ... Keith Waters is retiring in July as the longest serving executive in the European tour. Waters, 67, spent 17 years as a player and 30 as an administrator, most notably as chief operating officer. He has been a board member on the Official World Golf Ranking since 2004. ... Houston Open winner Min Woo Lee and sister Minjee Lee became the third set of siblings with wins on the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour. The others are Bill Kratzert and Cathy Gerring, and Jackie and Jim Gallagher Jr. ... Longtime golf instructor Charlie Epps in Houston, whose pupils include Angel Cabrera, recently turned 80 and said as only he can, 'I've never been 80 before.'
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Stat of the week
The Masters has 96 players who are expected to compete, its largest field since there were 97 players in 2015.
Masters trivia answer
England with six: Laurie Canter, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Aaron Rai and Danny Willett.
Final word
'When you have a dream as a little kid and you have a chance, there's a lot of emotions over every shot. I mean, I'm tearing up right now thinking about it.' — Ben Griffin on trying to get into the Masters through top 50 in the world ranking. He finished at No. 51.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf