Tiger Woods’s TGL Puts PGA Tour Pros’ in a ‘ Difficult Position’ Per Tom Kim’s Confession Amid Hyped Expections

Among all the chaos, if there is one thing that the golf community is excited about, it is the launch of TGL. After facing several setbacks, the league created by Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy, will finally kick start on January 7, 2025. The event presented by SoFi is a new golf league, combining advanced technology with teams of top players from the PGA TOUR for two-hour weekly competitions in prime time. While all the pros are excited to be a part of the events, they are also worried about being able to fit it in within their already tight schedules.

Max Homa, Tom Kim, and Kevin Kisner are members of Tiger Woods’s Jupiter Links GC TGL team. Ahead of the 2024 Grant Thornton Invitational, Tom Kim, who is teamed up with Jeeno Thitikul was asked about his expectations from the league and if it was difficult with the already exhausting PGA Tour schedule. To this, he said, “I think it’s a very, very different dynamic. I think it’s very good for the game because a lot of us, golf tournament-wise, a lot of us are spread out, so you’ll have a really good group go out in the morning and you’ll have another group go out in the afternoon, so they kind of have to be there the whole day. With this format, it’s two, three hours, I think.”

All matches will be played at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, a state-of-the-art venue with a capacity of 1,600 spectators. This nearly 250,000-square-foot facility will feature a 75-foot apex and a large plaza area for pre-match festivities. The innovative golf course within the SoFi Center will incorporate advanced technology and cover an area roughly the size of a football field. The players will not only be in the same room but will also have a live audience just like basketball or soccer. “I think it’s going to be really cool for us players because it’s more of a team event. This is an individual sport, so to be more inside a team environment is going to be really cool,” said Kim.

However, most of the matches are scheduled for Mondays and Tuesdays and the general golf tournaments go from Thursday to Sunday. So this might become a little difficult. “If it’s not the weeks that we’re playing, it’s really easy, but some of the events where it might be an elevated event, you have to go all the way to Florida to play, it is difficult, it’s not easy. I think it’s our job as players to figure that out.” The TGL will be hosted in almost 2 months, which makes it quite a spread-out and long golf tournament. However, given that it is Tiger Woods hosting the event, who is one of the greatest golfers of all time, Kim plans to take inspiration from him. “Try to use that mentality to try to use everything to my advantage,” concluded the 22 YO. 

However, Tom Kim is not the only one who is trying to figure out a way around TGL. As it turns out, other pros are as clueless as him, but they are all equally excited.

Rickie Fowler shares his thoughts on TGL

In the pre-tournament conference of the same event, even Rickie Fowler was asked, “What are kind of your expectations? Do you have any idea what this whole thing is going to be like?” about TGL. Rickie Fowler expressed excitement about the TGL, stating, “I’m looking forward to it. In a way, we don’t fully know what to expect until it really gets going.” He further elaborated, “It’s brand new, something that’s never been done before. It’s going to be a lot on the players to help provide entertainment. At the end of the day, it’s all about having a good time and creating something entertaining.”

However, when talking about what was the true mentality of the players, he also added that it does not really have to be good golf, but they hope it is since they will not be playing on a real golf course, and it is a completely new concept. Golf has always been an outdoor sport, and making it indoors is a completely new concept. “The atmosphere that will be in there with I think there’s about 1500 people, super intimate and very close. Hopefully, no one gets hit from a bunker shot because they’re close enough,” as he showed concerns about the entire setup.

However, it is needless to say that all of them are excited, a little nervous, and concerned yes, but where’s the fun without a little change? What are your thoughts on TGL? Let us know in the comments section below!