TGL Built Season 2 Momentum, Peaking With Tiger, As Media Deal Looms

While Year 1 demonstrated proof-of-concept for TGL, the recently-completed second year of the professional indoor golf simulator league exhibited the growth curve of established sports leagues – with increased engagement, deeper storylines, an improved product, and a meaningful late-season surge.

That momentum was on display in the championship round, where Tiger Woods’ return to competition – just days before he was involved in a car accident and charged with DUI – spurred the second-largest audience in TGL’s brief history. While Woods’ Jupiter Links team fell to Los Angeles Golf Club, the second (and last) match of the best-of-three finals drew an average of almost 1 million viewers, up 78% year-over-year and the most-watched match of Season 2.

TGL’s “playoff chase” during the month of March saw a 73% increase in average viewers compared to 2025. Playoff viewership was up 42% YOY as ESPN primetime matches drew a consistent audience of more than 600,000. The positive momentum comes at a pivotal time as TGL is exploring its next media rights deal, with CEO and co-founder Mike McCarley telling Sports Business Journal he expects to have contracts wrapped up in the next several months for both its men’s league and the new women’s competition, WTGL, which is launching later this year. TGL initially signed a two-year deal with ESPN and while McCarley said ideally both leagues would air on the same network, it’s possible that different companies/networks could provide coverage.

In total, TGL said that nearly two million more people watched Season 2, with 21.8 million unique viewers in 2026. The broadcasts were able to include more data and relevant context, and new faces included the addition of Roberto Castro as a TGL analyst to add a deeper understanding of strategy, and the inclusion of former NFL All-Pro and avid golfer Jason Kelce at the end of the regular season.

“While Season 1 was characterized by launch driven spikes, Season 2 demonstrated more consistent consumption that trended upward throughout the season, ultimately peaking in March with the end of the regular season and playoffs,” said TMRW Sports Chief Marketing Officer Peter Jung.

Notably for sponsors, TGL is the youngest golf property on television, with a median age of 56 and 34% of its audience between the ages of 18 and 49. TGL more than doubled the number of its founding sponsors (from 3 to 8) in Season 2, and all six teams now have at least two sponsors. The number of licensees – which includes names like Lululemon, Breezy, Peter Millar and Barstool Sports – was up 62% YOY.

More Scoring, Tighter Matches

From a competitive standpoint, matches were closer and higher scoring. Total points increased by 14% in Year 2 and scoring differential decreased by 17%. Part of that was the renovated – and larger – green that led to 10% more approach shots finding the putting surface and a 42% jump in the number of putts made between 10 and 20 feet.

“We are dedicated to constantly improving,” said TMRW Sports Chief Technology Officer Andrew Macaulay. “Some big changes with a lot of small tweaks add up to significant improvements.”

And from a technological angle, the simulator and shot tracking technology stack performed well, with nary a re-hit among the 962 shots taken into the screen. In Season 1, there was only one re-hit issue (among 960 shots) caused by the improper reading of a grass divot blasted into the air by Tommy Fleetwood.

In terms of fan engagement, videos produced by the league on social media saw a 186% rise YOY and every team saw at least an 18% growth in followers. The two teams in the finals – L.A. and Jupiter – saw the highest follower growth rates, at 43% and 66%, respectively.

In many ways, Season 2 for TGL was less about novelty and more about foundational growth and a commitment to continuous improvement. That will again be the case heading to Year 3 as TGL seeks to stack star power and staying power.

“We’ll once again take on our comprehensive process this offseason to analyze results and identify opportunities for improvement,” said Macaulay. “Then as we welcome TGL’s seventh team, Motor City Golf Club representing Detroit, and introduce a new audience to WTGL, we’ll continue to elevate the experience for our fans.”