Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods' TGL finally gets launch date after being handed £39m setback

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods' innovative golf league TGL was initially set to launch earlier this year, but a whole host of problems has seen it delayed by 12 months

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods' innovative golf league, TGL will finally launch next year, after it was announced that the first round of indoor fixtures will take place on January 7.

McIlroy and Woods first revealed their plans back in 2022, with the hopes of then launching the the league earlier this year. TGL organisers were forced to postpone their maiden season however, after their home at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach suffered severe damage.

Almost 12 months later the innovative league is finally set to make its arrival, with a whole host of big-name PGA Tour players - including McIlroy and Woods set to compete.

A press release on Monday confirmed that the league will include 15 regular season matches, before the best performing four teams head into the semi-finals followed by a season-ending finale. It was also revealed that the action will be broadcast on ESPN in the United States.

"TGL presented by SoFi, the new tech-infused, team golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR, today announced its inaugural season schedule, premiering Tuesday, Jan. 7 on ESPN and ESPN+," a statement read.

"The schedule includes 15 regular season matches, then a four-team Semifinals, before culminating with the top two teams competing to win the SoFi Cup in a best-of-three Finals Series on Monday, March 24, and Tuesday, March 25." The inaugural match will see Xander Schauffele's New York Golf Club take on Bay Golf Club which includes Shane Lowry and Ludvig Aberg.

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The second week will see Woods make his arrival on the TGL stage, with his Jupiter Links taking on Los Angeles Golf Club which also features a European Ryder Cup duo in Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose. McIlroy's first showing will come in week four, when his Boston Common team take on Woods' Jupiter setup.

The launch is an eagerly-anticipated one, after McIlroy and Woods had suffered a whole host of setbacks, most notably with their venue. Per The Palm Beach Post, TGL bosses expensed a whopping £39 million ($50m) to better equip the So-Fi Center following the damage caused late last year.

As well as their delayed launch, McIlroy and Woods also lost two players from their roster in Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, who have both since joined LIV Golf. Rahm announced his departure prior to his Saudi switch last November, whilst Hatton's name was removed from the Boston Common roster after he made his mega-money move in January of this year.