The stakes
The winning team will gain possession of the SoFi Cup and the champions also earn $9 million from a total purse of $21 million.
Boston Common Golf has Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott.
It takes place in the state-of-the-art, 250,000-square-foot SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College. TGL is the creation of TMRW Sports, which was co-founded by Woods, McIlroy and former Golf Channel CEO Mike McCarley and is collaborating with the PGA Tour.
The format
Teams will play head-to-head in a 15-hole match, divided into two sessions — a “triples” format that is essentially alternate shot with all three players, and a singles segment in which players compete one-on-one in three two-hole segments.
A shot clock set to 40 seconds adds to the pressure, as any shot clock violation incurs a one-stroke penalty.
The team with the most points at the end of regulation or overtime earns two points in the league standings in a system that takes its cue from the NHL. The losing team gets one point if it forces overtime but no points for a loss in regulation.
Atlanta Drive has Lucas Glover, Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas and Billy Horschel.
Golf is poised to bring the sport to a new generation with TGL, an elaborate indoor simulator golf league with a kick that opens with its first match Tuesday night in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and on ESPN for television consumption.
The green zone, meanwhile, is for shots 50 yards and in, and putts. It sits on a turntable 41 yards in diameter featuring bunkers, seven cup placements and an almost infinite number of contours thanks to the use of 567 hydraulic jacks underneath it.
At the end of the regular season, the top four teams will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for March 17 and March 18. The winners of the semis will then compete for the SoFi Cup in a best-of-three finals, taking place on March 24 and March 25.
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Jupiter Links Golf Club has Tigers Woods, Tom Kim, Max Homa and Kevin Kisner.
To enhance the fan experience, players will be mic’d up during play, with banter and trash talk part of the entertainment selling point.
