There’s a lot of buzz at the moment surrounding the new high-tech TGL golf league, the brainchild of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, which is set to debut in partnership with the PGA Tour on 9 January 2024.
There are no more significant crowd pullers than Woods and McIlroy, both set to lead their respective teams, and with 12 of the world’s top 20 players confirmed, matches promise to be a bit of a showstopper at the SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College in Florida. The aim of the TGL league is to engage a new audience and foster the growth of the game, so how on earth are there no women involved?
In the recent Shriners Children's Open in Las Vegas, 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.
The Shriners Children's Open is a completely different scenario compared to the TGL golf league. The TGL action is set to unfold over two hours in front of a live audience, and it's easy to envision the league evolving 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 should definitely create a more relaxed and fun atmosphere. This is exactly why I believe there would be even more compelling reasons to include players like Thompson, current World No 1 Ruoning Yin, Nelly Korda, Jin Young Ko, Charley Hull, Lilia Vu, among others, in the mix to showcase the quality of women's golf to this potential new audience.
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 an invitation 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? Perhaps some of the top female players were approached. 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 to a mixed league. Let’s wait and see, because as we know, when it comes to women’s golf, we have to be patient!
