How TGL works: Format, teams, rules, matches, how many points to win
TGL

How TGL works: Format, teams, rules, matches, how many points to win

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TGL is a new, hybrid indoor-golf league that is co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that will debut in 2024 at the SoFi Center on the campus of Palm Beach State College in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Starting with its debut on Jan. 9, 2024, the league season will play out with a unique format at a unique venue that features an enormous simulator screen with different stations for fairway, rough and sand lies that will be used for shots outside of 50 yards. For wedge shots, short-game shots and putting, players will hit to a physical green complex whose contours can be changed based on the hole being played on the simulated course.

The TGL format is unique to golf, designed to produce excitement and be done in two hours each week.

TGL teams

The league will feature six teams with four players each, and each team will represent a city (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and a city to be named). At this time, only one team -- Boston Common -- has announced all four of their players.

For each match week, a team will pick three players to participate in the match, meaning a player is not especially likely to compete in each match their team plays. The fourth player is not considered an alternate.

The 24 TGL players are: Woods, McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom Kim, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel, Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young, Keegan Bradley and a player to be named after Jon Rahm withdrew.

TGL format

The TGL format is designed to guarantee a two-hour match that will feature player banter and move quickly. The entire match will be 15 holes, split up into two segments.

The first portion of the match is a nine-hole match featuring three-player alternate shot. Each three-person team will play out the hole, with a player who hits the tee shot going first, followed by the selected player who hits the next shot and the third player hitting the third shot, if necessary. If a fourth shot is necessary, then the player who hit the tee shot on that hole will hit, and the lineup will repeat until the ball is holed. The team who completes the hole in the fewest strokes wins that hole.

The second segment of the match features one-on-one match play. Beginning with the 10th hole, each team will select an A, B and C player. The A player on each team will compete against each other on the 10th hole, with the players completing the hole solo. The player with the lowest score on that hole will win the hole. The B players will compete on the 11th hole, and the C players will compete on the 12th hole. Then the cycle will repeat once again until the match is done.

Each hole is worth 1 point, and if the hole is halved, then the point is split. The team with the most points at the end of the night wins the match. If the match is tied at the end of 15 holes, there will be an overtime played until a winner is determined.

The winning team for the night will earn 2 points in the season-long standings. If a team loses in overtime, they'll earn 1 point. If a team loses in regulation, they earn 0 points.

The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs, and they'll enter a bracket-style competition to determine a champion. The championship match will be a best-of-three competition, meaning there will be as many as three episodes of matches featuring the two finalists.

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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