Tiger Woods has taken his latest swipe at LIV Golf - saying he has struggled to understand some of the breakaway Tour's format - and insists TGL's impending launch will be "very simple."
Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Sports is behind the launch of TGL - a tech-infused league, featuring 24 of the best PGA Tour players, which was specifically made for primetime TV in the USA. It is set to take place inside a custom-built arena in south Florida and will see six clubs face off across three months of action - with each 15-hole match taking place early in the week and lasting no more than two hours.
The 15-time Major winner made the comments after being confirmed as the owner of the sixth and final TGL team, Jupiter Links Golf Club on Tuesday - a franchise he will also play for as part of their four-man roster.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Woods said: "Some of the stuff I've seen in LIV [Golf]... I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. Here it's very simple."
TGL will see golfers compete by hitting longer shots into an enlarged simulator screen off either real fairway, rough, or sand in front of around 1,600 fans. Once the shot becomes short enough, players will switch their attention to the short-game area which features an adaptable synthetic green that can rotate 360 degrees and create a wide variety of different contours.
In a statement released via his social media channels, Woods added: "Generally, golf takes about five or six hours to play. In today's world, with all of our smartphones, it is hard for anybody to go five to six hours without looking at their phones. So the shorter the time, the better it is."
Next on the tee, representing Jupiter, FL: Jupiter Links Golf Club!Our sixth and final team ownership group is led by @TigerWoods and David Blitzer... and Tiger himself is the first player on the team’s roster. 🔥Learn more: https://t.co/ARYqmYG55Z pic.twitter.com/hULlmWfl0yNovember 7, 2023
Woods has long been a hearty critic of the PIF-backed League and has previously questioned what the young players in particular are doing to "earn it in the dirt" by failing to experience a full schedule on Tour.
The 47-year-old also pointed to the fact that some LIV members may never play in a Major championship event if the stipulations around world ranking points do not change in favor of LIV.
Speaking ahead of the 150th Open at St Andrews last year, he said: "I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position. Some players have never got a chance to even experience it. They've gone right from the amateur ranks right into that organisation and never really got a chance to play out here and what it feels like to play a Tour schedule or to play in some big events.
"But what these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practise? What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You're just getting paid a lot of money up front and playing a few events and playing 54 holes. They're playing blaring music and have all these atmospheres that are different.
"I just don't see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players, especially if the LIV organisation doesn't get world ranking points and the Major championships change their criteria for entering the events. It would be sad to see some of these young kids never get a chance to experience it and experience what we've got a chance to experience and walk these hallowed grounds and play in these championships."
TGL's first week of competition is due to take place on Tuesday, January 9 at 9pm ET (2am GMT).
