Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s innovative golf league, TGL, had to invest more than $50 million to fix a major problem.
The high-tech league was set to launch in January of this year, featuring some of the PGA Tour’s biggest names competing in a simulated competition in West Palm Gardens.
However, just a few months before their big debut, McIlroy and Woods suffered a major setback at their state-of-the-art facility in Florida.
The SoFi Center, a nearly 250,000-square-foot venue built on the campus of Palm Beach State College, was severely damaged by 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-be-launched TGL has spent just over $50m (£39m) to better equip its venue, according to The mirror.
Rory McIlroy (left) and Tiger Woods (right) TGL reportedly spent $50 million to fix a major problem
With its first game now scheduled for January 7, 2025, in primetime on ESPN, TGL has taken new steps to ensure a more permanent structure at its Florida base can withstand all types of weather.
Construction began in March and work has already been completed on the roof and sides of the SoFi Center, according to The Palm Beach PostA steel structure will then be built for the “wraparound concourse,” which will serve as an entrance to the stadium with space for concession stands.
An inflatable dome had previously been installed to act as a roof for the center, but it collapsed due to windy weather that left the initial stadium in ruins last winter.
“Following discussions with key partners, including players, our six team ownership groups, PGA TOUR leadership and our commercial partners, SoFi, ESPN and Palm Beach State College, the decision was made to postpone the start of the TGL season until early 2025,” a statement read at the time.
“This decision was made after reviewing short-term solutions, potential construction timelines, player schedules and the primetime sports television schedule. Despite this new timeline for the venue, we remain excited about the future of TGL and will continue to build excitement between now and the start of the season with our players, fans and teams.”
The course within the facility will be equipped with a variety of technologies and will cover an area roughly the size of an American football field.
The under-green motorization technology, the in-frame LED boards and the 46-foot-by-64-foot Jumbotron-style screen will reportedly be installed in time for a dress rehearsal in mid-fall.
TGL will feature six teams of four PGA Tour players, including Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose and Xander Schauffele.
The roof of the custom-built SoFi Center venue collapsed after severe weather last November.
The two PGA Tour stars and their business partners were forced to delay the launch by a full 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 Boston Common team suffered another blow earlier this year when Tyrrell Hatton, who had initially joined the Northern Irishman, Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott on the Massachusetts-based roster, defected to LIV Golf along with Jon Rahm.
Former Masters champion Hideki Matsuyama replaced the Englishman on the Boston team.