SOS, Par 3 Featuring a Swedish Warship, to Debut in WTGL’s Opening Match
PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. – WTGL, the new women’s team golf league created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, today announced World Golf Hall of Famer Annika Sörenstam as the league’s newest hole designer, bringing her perspective as one of golf’s most accomplished players to the competition at the award-winning SoFi Center. Annika Hole Design has created two holes for the upcoming season, with the first, SOS, debuting in WTGL’s opening match on Sunday, Nov. 8, at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. The opening match will feature Los Angeles Golf Club, led by Michelle Wie West, against New York Golf Club, led by LPGA Hall of Famer Lydia Ko.
SOS — Par 3: Inspired by Sörenstam’s Swedish roots, SOS pays homage to a Swedish warship that sank in Stockholm harbor during its maiden voyage in 1628. The hole design places the ship in a Nordic setting of icebergs and icy waters and includes 12 tee boxes, with playing distances ranging from 119 to 233 yards. Players hit from an iceberg tee, carrying the ship and shaping shots around its towering sail to reach an island green.
The name has three references: the international distress signal; Swedish pop group ABBA’s hit song “SOS”; and the challenge facing players, a “Shot Over Sail.”
Sörenstam’s design draws on a pre-match visit to SoFi Center’s field of play, where she was intrigued by the challenge of hitting longer shots to the green inside the arena. She made that challenge central to SOS. A tee shot that misses the green and lands in the surrounding snow carries no penalty but leaves an approximately 40-yard recovery shot from near the arena’s traditional Overtime shot location. A ball that finds the water incurs a one-stroke penalty, with the next shot played from the same area.
Both misses create the type of pressure-filled arena shot that inspired Sörenstam, making accuracy and shot shaping critical from the tee.
“Designing for WTGL and TGL gave us an opportunity to be creative with the setting while thinking about how the best players in the world would approach each shot,” said Sörenstam. “With SOS, we wanted to bring a piece of Sweden into the experience and create a hole that is fun to watch and challenging to play.”
Sörenstam’s second hole design, a par 4 that can play as long as 511 yards, will be unveiled during the WTGL season. Both holes will be played in the upcoming WTGL and TGL presented by SoFi seasons.
Fans can get a first look at the new hole designs and be among the first to receive updates on match rosters and lineups by downloading the WTGL | TGL app. Media can find images and flyover videos of SOS at WTGL’s media hub.
“We’re honored to have Annika, one of the most accomplished golfers of the modern era, design holes for WTGL and TGL presented by SoFi,” said Rufus Hack, president of golf for TMRW Sports. “Having watched our matches, she understands how to test our athletes’ shotmaking and accuracy while embracing the creative possibilities of SoFi Center’s technology. Debuting SOS for WTGL’s opening match makes the occasion even more meaningful.”
For WTGL’s schedule, tickets, viewing information and league updates, visit WTGLGolf.com.
About WTGL
Created by TMRW Sports in partnership with the LPGA, WTGL is a new women’s team golf league launching this fall. Building on the foundation of TGL presented by SoFi, WTGL will feature teams of the world’s best women golfers competing in a season-long, fast-paced team match play competition. WTGL’s home is the custom-built SoFi Center, a tech-infused venue on the campus of Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. The five teams for WTGL’s inaugural season are Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Los Angeles Golf Club, Motor City Golf Club and New York Golf Club. To learn more about WTGL, its teams, rosters, competitive format and technology, visit WTGLGolf.com.
Media Contact:
Chris Reimer, SVP, Communications – WTGL
Chris.Reimer@TMRWSportsGroup.com
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