Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL announced Monday it would be postponing the debut of the simulator golf league to 2025 due to the damage caused at its host facility, the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. TGL was initially set to begin on Jan. 9, 2024 and play its first two weeks of matches on Tuesday nights before transitioning to Monday nights. The delay is expected to last until the start of 2025 given ESPN’s other television obligations in the spring and summer as well as player scheduling between the PGA Tour and major championships.
TGL’s delay becomes official less than one week after its arena was damaged. The arena, which was set to house full-swing golf shots into a simulator screen 20 times the standard size and a short-game area and putting green for shots under 50 yards, was forced to be deflated. Nearly 2,000 spectators were expected to fit inside the facility.
“Overnight on Tuesday, November 14, a failure of the temporary power system and backup systems used during construction caused the dome to deflate, which caused damage to the air-supported dome section of the site. There were no injuries, and most of the technology was not impacted,” TGL released in a statement. “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 has been made to postpone the start of the TGL season until early 2025.
“This decision came 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 between now and the start of the season with our players, fans and teams. We have begun to update plans and timelines and are confident that the extension will only improve our delivery.”
“The postponement brings mixed feelings of disappointment and excitement,” said McIlroy. “Above all, we are happy that no one was injured. We are looking forward to the launch of TGL. Given the circumstances, while the delay is disappointing, the postponement will allow us to regroup, refocus and return stronger.”
The six-team league featuring 24 PGA Tour players was on the cusp of announcing additional details such as the schedule and team names for the cities of New York and San Francisco. The 15-match inaugural season was to feature a unique playing format with players competing in both alternate shot and single sessions.
An official start date for 2025 has not been announced.