Rory McIlroy will finally get the chance to make his TGL debut on Monday night, as his Boston Common team take on Tiger Woods and Jupiter Links at the SoFi Center
There may have been plenty of comparisons between LIV Golf and the recently-launched TGL, but co-founder Rory McIlroy believes the simulator league ranks above the breakaway circuit in one key aspect.
McIlroy – who co-founded TGL alongside Tiger Woods – will compete at the SoFi Center for the first time, and will do so against Woods as Boston Common take on Jupiter Links. Unsurprisingly the Northern Irishman has been a huge advocate for the league ever since details were released in 2022.
The move away from traditional golf competition, did see it draw similarities to the LIV setup, a league both McIlroy and Woods had been historically critical of amid their PGA Tour loyalties.
In particular, the team aspect of TGL has seen it follow in the footsteps of the Saudi-funded circuit, but McIlroy believes the geographical focus on the franchises competing in the simulator league puts it above the model used at LIV. “I think that’s what TGL has done maybe a little bit better to connect with certain fan bases than, say, LIV, for example,” McIlroy said in December.
He continued: “Team golf has been around since 1927 in the professional game, you go back to a Ryder Cup. But I think the one thing what TGL has done a good job of is trying to locate the different teams in cities or geographies where you can really plug into the wider sports fans of that city.”
In particular, McIlroy will be hoping to tap into the Boston community, a city known for its love of sports. “Everyone knowing the intensity in which Boston fans support their teams, trying to plug into that,” McIlroy claimed. “Plugging into the Red Sox fans and obviously everyone else.
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“The Celtics or the Bruins or the Patriots, I think that to me at least gives you a connection to something, which is great.” One of the four-time major champion’s teammates is a passionate Boston sports fan in Keegan Bradley, and getting the chance to represent the city is a dream come true.
“I dreamt of playing for the Red Sox, Celtics, Patriots, Bruins, but, you know, that was obviously never on the cards for me,” Bradley said this month. “My dream was to play for the city of Boston and I never expected to have the chance to actually do it, and through TGL and Boston Commons all this has been so special for me and my family and I can’t wait to get started.”
Bradley is a part of the tree-man Boston Common team that will take to the simulator on Monday alongside McIlroy and Adam Scott. They will take on Woods’ Jupiter Links, with the 82-time PGA Tour winner playing alongside Tom Kim and Kevin Kisner.
