REVEALED: Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods forced to fork out $50MILLION after major blow to TGL venture
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s innovative golf league, TGL, has had to invest more than $50 million to solve a major problem.
The high-tech competition is set to kick off in January of this year and will see some of the PGA Tour’s biggest names compete in a simulated competition in West Palm Gardens.
However, just months before the big premiere, McIlroy and Woods suffered a huge blow to their state-of-the-art facilities in Florida.
The SoFi Center, a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue on the campus of Palm Beach State College, suffered severe damage from heavy rain and wind in November 2023, forcing the golf stars to postpone the inaugural event for 12 months.
It has now been revealed that the soon-to-launch TGL has spent just over $50 million (£39 million) to better equip their venue, according to The Mirror.
Rory McIlroy (L) and Tiger Woods’ (R) TGL reportedly spent $50 million to fix major problem
With the first game scheduled for January 7, 2025, on ESPN prime time, TGL has taken new measures to ensure a more permanent structure at the Florida base can withstand all weather conditions.
Construction began in March and work on the roof and sides of the SoFi Center has already been completed, according to The Palm Beach PostA steel frame will be constructed for the ‘surrounding hall’, which will serve as the entrance to the arena with space for sales outlets.
An inflatable dome had previously been installed to serve as a roof for the center, but it collapsed in stormy weather that left the original arena in ruins last winter.
“After consultation with key partners, including players, our six team owners, PGA TOUR leadership and our commercial partners SoFi, ESPN and Palm Beach State College, the decision has been made to delay the start of the TGL season until early 2025,” the statement said at the time.
“This decision was made after reviewing short-term solutions, potential construction timelines, player schedules and the primetime sports television calendar. Despite this new timeline for the venue, we remain excited about the future of TGL and will continue to build excitement with our players, fans and teams between now and the start of the season.”
The track at the location is equipped with all kinds of technologies and covers an area the size of an American football field.
Motorization technology under the putting green, in the screen frame, LED signs and a 45-by-62-foot Jumbotron-style screen will reportedly be installed in time for a dress rehearsal in mid-fall.
The TGL features six teams of four players from the PGA Tour, including Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele.
The roof of the purpose-built SoFi Center location collapsed after severe weather last November
the two PGA Tour stars and business partners were forced to delay the launch for an entire year
The six teams are based in Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Jupiter, Florida.
In April, Woods announced that Max Homa, Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner would join him at Jupiter Links GC.
However, McIlroy’s team, Boston Common, suffered a further setback earlier this year when Tyrrell Hatton, who was initially in the Massachusetts squad along with Northern Irishman Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott, defected to LIV Golf along with Jon Rahm.
Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama has now replaced the Englishman on the Boston team.