Last year turned out to be quite a rollercoaster ride for Tiger Woods. He underwent his sixth back surgery but his son made his first ace. Now, as the new year hit, things might be looking better, at least on the business front. On 7th January, Tiger Woods stepped into the Sofi Center, sporting the leaping Tiger logo on Sunday Red which Puma wasn’t pleased about. The crowd was cheering, TGL owners were happy, and overall, it was a good debut. The numbers also hint that. 

According to Zoomph, the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy event “was the most-watched sporting event” last night, “beating the NBA and College Hoops,” racking up an incredible 3.2M views.  This is rather shocking considering TGL’s history of backlashes from the golfing world. Especially with people calling it a copy of LIV. Or for the staggering $160 ticket prices or the fact that the PGA Tour pros were changing traditional golf. 

Considering that, it is a significant victory for TGL on multiple fronts. But hey, there’s more work to be done in the upcoming weeks. It was just the first match, people must have been eager to find out all about TGL. 

Only time will tell if TGL manages to sustain this level of success as the months roll on. But, judging by the initial buzz from fans, it looks like there’s a strong chance that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ venture could hit the ground of dissatisfaction so later.

Golf fans warn TGL owners about its quick success

While many celebrated the impressive turnout, others were quick to warn the PGA Tour pros against the early celebrations. One fan warned not to pop the champagne just yet, stating, “Of course it was. Let’s see what week 6 brings. Nobody is watching sim golf the 5th, 6th, 7th time.” This sentiment of skepticism echoed among other golf enthusiasts as well who said,  “Expect a huge fall off.” Golf sin? Well, somewhat similar emotions were echoed for LIV. Golf fans are not fans of changes in the traditional aspect of the game. Even Rickie Fowler called TGL a glorified man cave.

Amid the cautionary comments, a fan pointed out, “Night one isn’t the decider if it’s a hit. Night two won’t be either because of Tiger. I’d be interested to see if the ratings stay up. It is far from a dialed-in super competitive sporting event.” The second match will feature Woods wherein Los Angeles Golf Club will take on Jupiter Links Golf Club at 7 p.m. ET.  Another pessimistic fan forewarned, “Week 3 it’ll be under 1M.”

Some fans remained optimistic. One social media user said, “Just wait til it’s on next week at 7 with Tiger it’s gonna explode!” Another praised and criticized TGL at the same time, saying, “Put it on after the Duke game and during the UNC game. Very smart.” For those unfamiliar, the Duke and UNC games are major college basketball matchups representing two premier programs in the NCAA, making the timing an intelligent move to tap into an existing audience.

This prediction serves as a reminder that the future of TGL remains uncertain, and whether it can maintain the momentum built during its launch will be closely observed. What are your views on TGL? Is it here to stay?