15 November 2023 , 19:28
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Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's tech-infused golf league TGL has suffered a significant setback before its launch next year with damage to its stadium during construction in Florida.
The SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens will become home to the new competition, but a dome that will be part of the arena collapsed in the early hours of Wednesday morning. According to local media outlet WPBF, a failure to the temporary power system used for the construction site led for the dome to deflate, suffering tears and what has been described as limited damage. No one was injured.
TGL is due to launch in January, with 24 of the world's best golfers – but no LIV members – competing in a weekly series of events using simulators and new technologies in a made-for-TV team-based competition. However, it is unclear if the damage to the dome could force the league to delay its first event, which is scheduled for January 9.
“The dome section has been further deflated by our crew and will remain down while they work to remedy the situation," a spokesman for TMRW Sports, the organisation behind TGL, said.
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Mirror Sport has contacted TMRW Sports for comment regarding the damage and how it might affect the launch of the league. SoFi Center has been under construction since February on the campus at The Palm Beach State College, with its first event less than two months away. The arena will have a 2,000 capacity, with fans watching players hit their tee and approach shots into a simulator.
For shots within 50 yards of the pin, the players will move to the "Green Zone", an area the size of four basketball courts featuring three dynamic greens, with technology beneath the floor enabling the layout and undulations to change for each hole as the players complete in a 15-hole matchplay format comprised of triples and singles.
The dome collapsed after a suspected power failure and was torn. (WPBF)TGL is set to feature six four-man teams and events will be held on Tuesday nights through January and February. The branding of four teams – Atlanta Drive, Boston Common Golf, Jupiter Links and LAGC – has been revealed, with teams representing New York and San Francisco to be unveiled in due course.
McIlroy will play for Boston Common Golf – owned by Liverpool chairman John W. Henry and Fenway Sports Group – alongside Tyrrell Hatton, Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott.
Woods has been confirmed as the first member of the Jupiter team, while Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover will play for Atlanta. Collin Morikawa and Sahith Theegala have been announced as LAGC players.