‘Turned Me Off’: Tiger Woods, McIlroy’s TGL Risks Losing Focus on Golf if Money Becomes Priority, Warns Insider

When TGL first came into play, nobody would’ve thought it would have this much impact on modern-day golf. Fast forward to today, and the league’s influence is undeniable, with a staggering $21 million purse up for grabs. The winning team takes home a remarkable $9 million, breaking down to $2.25 million per player, with significant payouts also awarded to the runner-up, third and fourth-place teams.

Golf as a sport has always had high prize rewards, but nothing like the likes of TGL. This was never before seen in the sport till now. However, with such lucrative rewards on the line, the pressure is on for the players to perform at their best, but is the focus on prize money taking away from the true spirit of the game? The latest episode of the Smylie Kaufman show had some interesting points to make regarding it.

In the latest episode of The Smylie Kaufman Show on YouTube, the host shared his thoughts on the TGL’s approach to prize money. “I would hope the one thing I never want to see with TGL is them showing up what the purse is and how much money they make,” he said. This sentiment was sparked by a previous experience where the host felt that the focus on prize money was overwhelming. “I saw that like the last, not this past one, but the one before and it could not have turned me off more,” he recalled. The host emphasized that he doesn’t want to know how much TGL players earn, stating “I don’t want to know what these guys make in TGL at all, it’s too much about the game is about money.”

The conversation then shifted to the idea of incentivizing entertainment value over competitiveness. “If you incentivize taking the competition very seriously, you detract from the entertainment factor,” the host noted. He suggested that players should be paid a base fee, rather than a large sum based on their performance. “Pay them almost nothing based on the actual competition… just pay them a base fee that is almost everything they’re going to earn from this league,” he said. The host believes that this approach would lead to a more enjoyable viewing experience, where players are encouraged to be entertaining rather than solely focused on winning.

It’s also worth noting that TGL is pretty nicely backed up when it comes to the financial aspect of the league but can money solve all the problems?

Big names, bigger questions

When TGL, golf’s new simulator-based league, launched, it did so with a roster of big-name backers, including billionaire investors like Steve Cohen, Arthur Blank, and Marc Lasry, as well as star-studded ambassadors like Steph Curry, Serena Williams, and Tiger Woods. The league’s state-of-the-art facility, the SoFi Center, was an impressive feat of engineering, and the technology used to simulate golf games was certainly innovative. However, despite the bravado and billionaire backing, there was a lingering question: was there actually an audience for this product?

The answer was far from certain. Golf fans are discerning, and the sport’s traditionalists may have been skeptical of a simulator-based league. As one observer wryly noted, “Rory under the lights at Shadow Creek pulls 625K viewers. Is Cam Young in a tennis bubble hitting into some simulator with NBA music and lights? Yeah, should be explosive.” The failure of previous attempts to make exhibition golf entertaining, like the Showdown in Las Vegas, hadn’t helped, and the LIV golf debacle had left a sour taste in many fans’ mouths. As another observer pointed out, “A demand for golf doesn’t presume a market for team golf.” Can TGL’s backers manufacture demand for a product that doesn’t yet seem to have a natural audience? It was a challenge that even the most accomplished and well-heeled investors may have struggled to overcome.