Analysis: TGL Contemplating Combining Events in LPGA Negotiations
Professional golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have enlisted 24 members from the PGA Tour to join their new indoor league, TGL. However, according to a report from Front Office Sports on Thursday, they have also been in communication with the LPGA about a potential expansion.
A spokesperson for TGL stated that discussions between the league and LPGA have already taken place, but any collaboration would not occur until after the league's first season. The league is set to debut on January 7th at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
LPGA commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan revealed on Wednesday at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida that the tour has been exploring ways to increase the marketing of their players. This includes "exploring some synergies with TGL."
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Marcoux Samaan stated, "It will be great to get our athletes in different positions. You know, with different exposure, different innovation in golf. The LPGA should be in every conversation about golf. So we've been talking to those guys for a long time, and I think we'll try to figure something out -- how we can work together, whatever that looks like."
According to the report, TGL may potentially create a separate women's league in the future or hold a mixed event featuring players from both the PGA and LPGA.
TGL's unique format combines simulator golf with an actual short game area, allowing all golfers to tee off from the same spot. This improves the viewing experience for fans.
Mixed events have gained popularity recently, such as McIlroy's victory over Max Homa and LPGA pros Rose Zhang and Lexi Thompson in the made-for-TV golf series "The Match." This event, held in February, was the first version of the series to include female golfers. The $2.4 million won by McIlroy was donated to charity.
In December, Zhang and World No. 1 Nelly Korda will participate in the second year of the Grant Thornton Invitational, along with PGA Tour and TGL members Sahith Theegala and Rickie Fowler. This invitational is a co-sanctioned PGA Tour/LPGA Tour event established last year.
There is also a proposal for a 36-hole mixed-team golf tournament at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, awaiting a response from the International Olympic Committee.
Additionally, Solheim Cup U.S. team captain Stacy Lewis expressed in September that she would like to see the biennial Presidents Cup become a mixed event.
