Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy face setback as TGL’s season 2 fails to live up to expectations
TGL, the indoor golf league backed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, is not getting the same TV attention in its second season, with viewership numbers falling behind last year despite new features and expansion plans.
So far in 2026, matches shown on ESPN are averaging about 615,000 viewers across four broadcasts. Last season, ESPN telecasts averaged around 605,000 viewers, but that figure came from 12 matches. On ESPN2, this season’s games are averaging roughly 322,000 viewers, slightly higher than last year’s 303,000. Even so, overall viewership across the season is reportedly down.
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Golf analyst Josh Carpenter said on X that the numbers look “a little soft” at the midway point. He suggested the schedule could be part of the reason, since fewer matches have aired on ESPN so far compared to last year, with many big broadcasts set for later in the season. Tee Times shared Carpenter’s post and added that total viewership is down by more than 25 percent compared with 2025 when broader data is included.
Player participation has also been uneven. Reports say about one quarter of rostered players have not appeared yet this season, forcing teams to use substitutes more often than expected.
The drop was noticeable right from the start. The Season 2 opener on December 28 averaged about 646,000 viewers on ABC, well below the 919,000 who watched the first match of the inaugural season on ESPN. In Week 2, a Friday night match featuring McIlroy’s Boston Common GC drew around 354,000 viewers on ESPN2. That is a big fall from the 1.05 million who tuned in when Woods played his first TGL match last year.
This season’s numbers come from Nielsen’s combined Big Data and Panel measurements, while last year’s figures used only Panel data which can sometimes show slightly higher totals. Even with that difference, the decline is clear.
The weaker ratings come at an important time for TGL which recently announced plans to launch a women’s version. With Woods and McIlroy leading the project stronger interest was expected in Year 2 making the current dip a concern for the future of the simulator-based league.
Upcoming TGL 2026 match schedule and broadcast details
TGL’s regular season is moving ahead with more matches set to be played at the SoFi Center. Each match lasts 15 holes starting with nine holes of three-on-three alternate-shot play followed by six holes of one-on-one singles. Players wear microphones throughout so fans can hear conversations and reactions during play.
Here is the upcoming TGL schedule with match times in Eastern Time (ET) and TV details.
Monday, February 23
- 5:00 p.m. ET — Atlanta Drive GC vs Boston Common Golf (ESPN, ESPN Unlimited)
- 9:00 p.m. ET — Los Angeles Golf Club vs Atlanta Drive GC (ESPN2, ESPN Unlimited)
Tuesday, February 24
- 5:00 p.m. ET — New York Golf Club vs The Bay Golf Club (ESPN, ESPN Unlimited)
- 9:00 p.m. ET — Boston Common Golf vs New York Golf Club (ESPN, ESPN Unlimited)
Sunday, March 1
- 9:00 p.m. ET — Jupiter Links Golf Club vs Boston Common Golf (ESPN, ESPN Unlimited)
Monday, March 2
- 7:00 p.m. ET — Los Angeles Golf Club vs New York Golf Club (ESPN2, ESPN Unlimited)
Tuesday, March 3
- 9:00 p.m. ET — The Bay Golf Club vs Jupiter Links Golf Club (ESPN, ESPN Unlimited)
Edited by Sonali Verma