Is TGL following LIV Golf’s formula to find success? Well, it seems one of its owners certainly is. The first season of TGL will kick off in a few hours. Looking at the way the product has been marketed, many fans believe that they are picking a lot of pages out of LIV Golf’s books.
via Imago
The team format introduced by Greg Norman & co. has been implemented by Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy as well. Just like the LIV Golf teams, TGL also has 6 squads of 4 golfers each as they try to collaborate together to best their opposition on match day.
Moreover, just like LIV Golf, Tiger Woods has also pursued global broadcasters to ensure they reach every golf enthusiast worldwide. The only difference in this case is that TGL’s team had sealed deals with American broadcast partners before they approached other networks in the world.
And now, it seems that Tiger Woods has personally taken a step towards promoting TGL just like his adversary from Saudi Arabia. NUCLRGOLF announced on X that the GOAT will be collaborating with famed YouTube golfer Grant Horvat. Well, let us remind you that one of Woods’s greatest rivals; Phil Mickelson has been doing something similar in an attempt to shed some positive light on LIV Golf. The 2021 PGA Championship winner is a familiar face on Grant Horvat’s YouTube channel, having already featured in several challenges.
Mickelson has been seen promoting LIV Golf often, ever since he made his big-money move to the PIF-funded league. Watching Tiger Woods doing something similar further adds fuel to the rumors of TGL trying to imitate LIV Golf.
There are still a few major differences between the leagues. The biggest one is that one is still being played on a course while the other is indoors. Moreover, TGL didn’t have to poach players from anywhere to start their league. LIV Golf has earned a bad rep due to this. Lastly, despite all the controversies, the entire golf community is a lot more accepting of TGL as compared to LIV Golf, especially after Rory McIlroy praised it so highly.
Tiger Woods’s TGL ‘reimagined’ golf just like LIV?
While Tiger Woods may only be trying to promote TGL, there is no doubt that there are quite a few similarities between his strategies and those of LIV Golf. The same can be said about his co-owner, Rory McIlroy.
When asked his thoughts on TGL, the Irishman said “I think the first thing that I would like people to know is it’s golf, but it’s reimagined. Sort of trying to take golf into the 21st century. And we have teams where there’s a lot of Technology involved trying to bring it into the digital era, a lot of things that we’ve taken from other sports. Um like a shock clock at times. All things you don’t see in regular golf so you know trying to appeal to that. You know, that bigger sports audience right there?”
This reads a lot like what Greg Norman & his associates had in mind back in 2022, doesn’t it? That is what LIV Golf had pitched to the fans when they initially launched their project as well. But at that time, McIlroy had bashed the league, saying, “There’s no one [who will join]. It’s dead in the water, in my opinion. I just can’t see any reason why anyone would go.”
While the Saudi-based promotion has been somewhat able to please the community so far, will TGL be able to match their success? We will surely learn about that in the next few months.
