During the launch of his TGL team, Boston Common Golf, Rory McIlroy talked about how the new tech-based league is taking the sport in the right direction vis-à-vis advancement and revolution and how LIV Golf lacks that edge in its claims to transform golf for the better.
McIlroy was at Fenway Park, introducing his team, when he made the bold remarks. The four-time major winner has always been a strong critic of the Saudi-funded league, even holding onto his opinion following the big merger between the three Tours. So, what bold claims did the Irish golfer make this time?
Rory McIlroy Says LIV Golf Stuck in a ‘No Man’s Land’
McIlroy believes that his and Tiger Woods’ league, which is scheduled to commence in January, has what golf desperately needs at the moment: the power to bring in a bigger, younger audience to the sport.
“We’re [trying] to be competitive and it’s a different type of golf but it’s not the traditional golf that you see week in, week out,” added the PGA Tour pro.
He further went on to say that LIV Golf hasn’t innovated enough from traditional golf, or they’ve innovated so much that they no longer fall anywhere close to what traditional golf really is. And this has them stuck in a no-man’s land, with really nowhere to go.
“They’re sort of cut in no man’s land where as [TGL] is so far removed from what we know golf to be.”
TGL is similar to LIV Golf in its team format, but it utilises a huge state-of-the art simulator wherein players will be making shots to a tech-based green, which changes contours based on the kind of shot made.
Woods’ new league will comprise six teams, which will be playing over 15 holes every Monday. The first team to declare its players is the Boston-based team of which McIlroy is a part. The other teams are expected to announce their rosters in the coming weeks.
The new league is all set to launch on January 9, 2024, at the newly built SoFi Centre in Florida, wrapping up before the Masters in April. The venue for the matches, Palm Beach State College, has the capacity to hold 1600 spectators, preferably a younger audience, to boost engagement and growth in the sport.
List of Top Golfers Who’re Part of the TGL
- Tiger Woods
- Rory McIlroy
- Justin Thomas
- Patrick Cantlay
- Rickie Fowler
- Collin Morikawa
- Max Homa
- Xander Schauffele
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Tommy Fleetwood
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Justin Rose
- Shane Lowry
- Wyndham Clark
- Kevin Kisner
- Adam Scott
- Min Woo Lee
- Lucas Glover
- Tom Kim
- Sahith Theegala
- Billy Horschel
- Cameron Young
- Keegan Bradley
World No. 2, Jon Rahm, pulled out of the league last week, raising speculations about whether he was joining the breakaway Tour. But Rahm made it clear in his post on Twitter (now X) that he would be missing out on the first season of the new league. But the question remains: do McIlroy’s claims and comparisons of his new league with LIV Golf stand true?
