Tiger Woods, star player and co-founder of TGL, did not play in the first night of the simulator golf league. Instead, he waited a week in what was widely seen as a strategic move aimed at maintaining interest and buzz for the new venture.
This turned out to be a wise decision.
ESPN reported Wednesday that the second TGL match, in which Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links defeated 12-1 by Los Angeles Golf Clubattracted an average audience of one million viewers. This represents an increase of 9% compared to the inaugural match on January 7.
According to the network, the audience peaked at 1.1 million from 8:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. and remained steady around 1 million from 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. The game took place 18 minutes after the allotted 7-9 p.m. window, forcing the start of a Duke-Miami basketball game to be moved to ESPNews.
In the first week of the TGL, Bay Golf Club easily defeated New York Golf Club 9-2. The new league has yet to see a close game.
Next Tuesday’s match will see Atlanta Drive Golf Club’s first appearance against New York Golf Club. Rory McIlroy, another TGL co-founder with Woods, will likely play for the first time on Monday, Jan. 27, on his Boston Common Golf team against Woods’ Jupiter Links. Four players are on each team, but only three play per match, although it’s hard to imagine Woods and McIlroy wouldn’t both play in what would likely be another popular night with viewers.
