Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy donate $300,000 to Palm Beach College
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy started TMRW Sports Group in 2021, along with former Golf Channel executive Mike McCarley. The group had a TMRW Sports Fund at the Palm Beach State College in Florida.
In recent news, it was revealed that Next League had donated a staggering $300,000 to the fund to provide scholarships for students and support academic program development. Back in 2022, TMRW Sports announced their first venture to be a simulator league, TGL. It was originally planned to kickstart in early 2024; however, now it will be launched in 2025.
Next Group is TMRW Sports' partner for the TGL. The group provides the simulator league with strategic and technological advice and is also building mobile apps and websites for the same. The two groups have a multi-year deal where Next Group will be giving TGL extensive counsel on strategy and technology as well as aid in digital experiences.
The SoFi Center, where TGL will be played, will be built at the Palm Beach State College campus. The league had partnered with the college for the same and had donated $1 million as a part of the agreement to build the center. Vice President of Institutional Advancement at PBSC and CEO of The Foundation at PBSC, David Rutherford, spoke of the new $300,000 donation, via Palm Beach Post:
"The investment that Next League is making is a testament to the extraordinary relationship between TMRW Sports and Palm Beach State, one that benefits the community as well. Advancements for internships and programs help raise the ceiling on the economic and cultural impact the college already has on Palm Beach County,"
The TGL is said to be the disruptor in golf. Both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy appeared excited about their new venture.
What is different about Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's new league TGL?
The Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-led TGL was announced in partnership with the PGA Tour. It will feature advanced tech-infused team matches and live action at a customized venue in a primetime slot. It will be played in an indoor arena in front of a live audience.
Recently, it was announced that legendary golfer and course designer Jack Niklaus has joined the league with his design team to develop the arena. They are one of the three design teams that have worked to create 30 holes for the league. TGL will incorporate all of them in 15-hole matches.
While the simulator league itself is a disruptive concept in golf, the course design is also touted to be extremely unique. Niklaus and the design teams reportedly took inspiration from real-world landscapes like links, canyons, coasts, deserts, and tropical areas while designing the holes. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy had promised to bring more excitement to golf through TGL and these new developments have peaked excitement.
According to Golf Week, the new holes will feature:
- Quick Draw: Par 5 can be played 720 yards with a safe tee shot or 538 yards by trying to hit a plateau 300 yards from the tee
- Craic On: 175-yard par 3 in a traditional links style
- Bluebonnet: Par 4 that can be played 450 or 343 yards based on a challenging canyon
- Cliffhanger: 251-yard par 3 over an ocean cove
- The Plank: 380-yard par 4 with an uphill hole and diagonal bunkering
- Serpent: 603-yard par 5 with penalty areas closing in both sides the entire way to the hole
The TGL has been broken down into six teams. While Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas, and Collin Morikawa were early entrants into the league, they were later joined by the likes of Kevin Kisner, Shane Lowry, and Min Woo Lee, to name a few.