TGL was a ratings bonanza on the league’s opening night on ESPN

On By Littum

Tuesday’s debut of the new indoor golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy drew a sizeable crowd to ESPN.

Nielsen ratings reported by Front Office Sports and Sports Media Watch showed TGL’s inaugural match attracted an average of 919,000 viewers during its two-hour run from 9-11pm on Tuesday night, with viewership peaking at 1.1 million from 9.15pm-9.30pm

It was a good start for the new golf league, which was supposed to debut last year but had to postpone after the roof of the SoFi Center in Palm Beach, Fla., collapsed and managed to draw a crowd 28 percent higher than a college basketball game. in the same period last year.

Ludvig Aberg, Shane Lowry and Wyndham Clark of The Bay Golf Club react during their TGL presented by SoFi match against New York Golf Club at the SoFi Center. Brennan Asplen/TGL Golf via Imagn Images

According to Sports Media Watch, TGL saw a 22 percent increase in viewership from the college basketball game — a contest between Duke and Pittsburgh — that preceded it.

The new league’s season opener also topped nationally televised NBA games that featured the Lakers and Mavericks (1.15 million) and Celtics and Nuggets (1.06 million) played on Tuesday.

The opening match of the TGL featured a 15-hole contest between Bay Golf Club and New York Golf Club, with the former winning 9-2.

TGL debuted with much anticipation and intrigue given what Woods and McIlroy were trying to accomplish with the indoor simulator golf league.

Rickie Fowler of New York Golf Club plays a shot on the seventh hole during their TGL presented by SoFi match against The Bay Golf Club at the SoFi Center. Mike Ehrmann/TGL Golf via Image Images

The 15-game regular season is played in the technological marvel that is the 250,000-square-foot SoFi Center.

Now, it remains to be seen if the ratings will continue to hold steady or even increase in the coming weeks.

Woods and McIlroy will play in their first team match of the TGL season on Tuesday when Jupiter Links Golf Club takes on Los Angeles Golf Club.

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods stand on the green as they watch New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club warm up for the opening round of the TMRW Golf League, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. AP

Rickie Fowler told reporters that the new indoor league was meant to add to what the PGA Tour was trying to do with the sport.

“This is not trying to compete with what we do on the (PGA) Tour,” he said. “This is an addition to the game and hopefully it can open some people’s eyes to what is possible. The biggest driver is how it does on TV and how people watch it. The sky is the limit with what you can do.

“This is just the beginning.”