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Tiger Woods’ new golf league delays launch of season by a yr after venue collapse

Tiger Woods of the US and Rory McIlroy of Northern Eire traipse to the 11th fairway all the way in which by a custom spherical forward of the 2023 Masters Match at Augusta National Golf Club on April 03, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.

Christian Petersen | Getty Photography Sport | Getty Photography

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s indoor golf league, TGL, has postponed its inaugural season by a yr till the launch of 2025, the group said Monday.

The choice comes after the roof of the new area slated to host TGL suits collapsed last week. The league said the energy system old all the way in which by construction of the SoFi Heart in Palm Seaside Gardens, Florida failed, causing a dome structure to deflate.

The accident didn’t cause accidents or injury the league’s golf simulators and assorted technology, TGL said. But TGL delayed the season, which used to be expected to launch in January, after talking to key companions.

“This choice came after reviewing short-term alternate choices, attainable construction timelines, player schedules, and the primetime sports television calendar,” the league said in a assertion. “We’re confident that the extension will handiest pork up our provide.”

TGL, which counts the PGA Tour as a accomplice, used to be based by McIlroy, Woods and dilapidated NBC government Mike McCarthy. The trio needs to provide a primetime indoor golf league to arrangement new fans to the sport at as the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, and then its proposed merger with the PGA Tour, left golf at a crossroads.

Woods used to be optimistic about the league’s future despite the delayed launch.

“Although the events of last week will force us to assemble adjustments to our timelines, I’m completely confident that this concept will seemingly be dropped at lifestyles by our gigantic dedicated gamers,” Woods said in a assertion Monday.

TGL has drawn about a of the very best doubtless golfers on this planet as phase of its lineup. Or no longer it’s unclear how the new timeline may maybe maybe impact player participation.

The league has also attracted a desire of high-profile crew homeowners and investors including hedge funder Steve Cohen, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Fenway Sports Community, tech founder Alexis Ohanian and tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams. Other investors within the league encompass basketball gigantic Stephen Curry, bound car driver Lewis Hamilton, ladies’s soccer player Alex Morgan, singer Justin Timberlake and pro football’s Tony Romo and Josh Allen.

TGL signed a multi-yr media rights address ESPN in October to broadcast its events.

ESPN said it completely supports the choice to delay the 2024 season.

“Now we own believed in them and their imaginative and prescient from the starting, and that has no longer changed. The previous recurring time to concept, test and rehearse will handiest assemble it better, said Rosalyn Durant, government vp, programming and acquisitions at ESPN.

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