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Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's simulator league, TGL, saw great ratings in the first two weeks. With over 1 million people watching Woods' debut, things were looking up. But Week 3 saw a sharp decline with Justin Thomas and Billy Horschel as the headliners, according to Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. But, Karp does have a silver lining that shows a growth potential for the league.
“Tuesday’s Atlanta Drive-N.Y. GC match on Tuesday night averaged 682,000 viewers, which is easily its lowest figure yet,” Karp reported. “Perhaps just as important though is that TGL is bringing in young viewers, with a median age of 51 years old after three matches (much younger than the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, both at 63),” he continued.
Bringing young audiences into televised golf is important for the future of the PGA Tour and TGL. While the ratings did take a tumble this week, the PGA Tour ratings have also been rough. TGL outpaced them through the first two weeks and that should continue.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will face off at the SoFi Center on Monday in what could be the biggest TGL match yet. McIlroy has not played yet and Woods' debut brought in the biggest ratings.
TGL needs stars to succeed, but they may not exist
The drop in ratings shows that middle-aged golf fans will only watch with the biggest stars. Young viewers are in on the video-game aspect of the league and the connection to YouTube golf regardless. But with Thomas as the biggest star and Horschel attempting to steal the show, many fans did not tune in.
There were a few players, like Scottie Scheffler, who did not want to play in TGL. That takes away some star power but LIV Golf, the reason TGL exists, takes away much more. Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka would be perfect for the made-for-tv league but are not eligible because of their LIV affiliation. TGL was made to give PGA Tour loyalists another option during the season and entice some to stay.
There is no reason to expect matches without superstars to draw big numbers. But there may be only two teams that reach that plateau, Jupiter Links and Boston Common. Woods and McIlroy are on a different level but cannot be on the screen every match. If this match is the blueprint for future non-Woods/McIlroy matches, it could be a rough first season for TGL.