TGL, the simulator league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, debuted on Tuesday night on ESPN. The match was a blowout, with The Bay Golf Club beating New York Golf Club 9-2, but it was a positive debut. According to the Sports Business Journal, TGL ratings blew out the first PGA Tour event of the season.

“The debut of TGL on Tuesday night from 9:00-11:00 pm ET averaged 919,000 viewers on ESPN, with the 9:15-10:15 pm window maintaining an average of around 1.04 million viewers,” Austin Karp reported.

“The TGL debut was higher than the NBC window (4-6 p.m.) for the final round of The Sentry on Sunday (868,000 viewers), though that's typically one of the least-viewed PGA Tour network windows of the year and had head-to-head Week 18 NFL competition. The tour, which is an investor in TGL, had a network average last year that was closer to 1.9 million.”

The LIV Golf drama has declined interest in the PGA Tour over the past three years. With many of fans' favorite players leaving the product, ratings have declined. TGL is a way for golf to be on in primetime and draw new fans in. It outperformed the Crypto Showdown from December, which averaged 625,000 viewers.

The future looks bright for TGL

Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods watch golfers warm up for the inaugural match at SoFi Center, the home of TGL, the interactive golf league founded by Woods and McIlroy
GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The debut of TGL on Tuesday night was a success in a lot of ways. Even though it was a blowout, people watched and there were no massive technical issues. That all sets the stage for their Week 2 matchup between Jupiter Links and Los Angeles Golf Club. Tiger Woods is on Jupiter Links and will be making his debut on the virtual course.

This is how fans will have to watch Tiger Woods for the foreseeable future. Even though his swing is still pure, which he proved in a TGL practice session, he struggles to walk in tournaments with his injured leg. No one moves the needle in terms of ratings more than Woods. When fans tune into TGL, they will see every shot the legend takes, unlike a PGA Tour event.

The TGL ratings should boom in Week 2. Between word-of-mouth after the first week and the allure of Woods, Jupiter Links should bring in even bigger numbers. Pair that with a weak field at the Sony Open this weekend, and similar numbers could be coming out next week.

TGL is on ESPN every week, continuing on Tuesday at 7 p.m.