Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s innovative golf league, TGL, has had to funnel more than $50million into fixing a major issue.
The high-tech league was set to be launched in January this year, boasting some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour battling it out in a simulated competition in West Palm Gardens.
However, just months before its grand debut, McIlroy and Woods were dealt a major blow to their state-of-art Florida facilities.
The SoFi Center, a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue constructed on the campus of Palm Beach State College, suffered severe damage due to heavy rain and wind in November 2023, forcing the golfing stars to postpone the inaugural event by 12 months.
It has now been revealed that the soon-to-be-launched TGL has spent just over $50million (£39m) to better equip their venue, according to The Mirror.
With its first match now slated for January 7, 2025, on ESPN prime time, TGL has taken new measures to ensure that a more permanent structure at its Florida base can withstand all weather.
Construction began in March with work already completed on SoFi Center’s roof and sides, according to The Palm Beach post. A steel framing for its ‘surrounding concourse’ – which will act as the arena’s entrance with space for concession stands – will follow.
An inflatable dome had previously been installed to act as the center’s roof but it collapsed due to the blustery weather which left the initial arena in tatters last winter.
‘Following discussions with key partners, including players, our six team ownership groups, PGA TOUR leadership and our commercial partners, SoFi, ESPN and Palm Beach State College, the decision has been made to postpone the start of the TGL season until early 2025,’ a statement read at the time.
‘This decision came after reviewing short-term solutions, potential construction timelines, player schedules, and the primetime sports television calendar. Despite this new timeline for the venue, we remain excited about the future of TGL and will continue to build excitement between now and the start of the season with our players, fans and teams.’
The course inside the venue will be infused with various technologies and cover an area approximately the size of an American football field.
Motorization tech under the putting green, in screen framing and LED boards and 46-foot-by-64-foot Jumbotron-type screen are reportedly set to be installed in time for a dress rehearsal in mid fall.
TGL will feature six four-player teams of PGA Tour players, including Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele.
The six teams are ‘based’ in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Jupiter, Florida.
In April, Woods announced that Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Kevin Kisner would join him at Jupiter Links GC.
However, McIlroy’s team, Boston Common, was dealt another blow earlier this year when Tyrrell Hatton, who had initially joined the Northern Irishman, Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott on the Massachusetts-based roster, defected to LIV Golf along with Jon Rahm.
Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama has since replaced the Englishman on the Boston team.
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