"We're in the greatest golf boom ever" - When Tiger Woods spoke about the 'future' of golf

Tiger Woods on Wednesday announced the launch of a tech-infused golf league. The legendary golfer, along with Rory McIlroy, partnered with the PGA Tour and revealed the new TGL. According to the duo, the new tournament will feature players competing in a short 15-game format.

The new-age tournament announced by the PGA Tour and Woods will kick off in January 2024. The announcement came alongside a series of structural changes to the existing PGA Tour. The American Tour introduced the changes to make the sport more appealing for fans and players amid the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate.

However, it is pertinent to note that Tiger Woods has a substantial role in the development. The new changes, including one regarding TGL, come only a week after Woods and McIlroy held a player-only meeting with fellow golfers.

While many are lauding the PGA for its innovations in the game, a few others have mentioned Woods as a visionary ambassador for the sport.

While the PGA Tour's structural changes and TGL are new, it's safe to say that Woods has been planning for the sport's future for a long time. Recently, Tiger Woods opened up on the "future" of golf and said the sport was seeing a tremendous boom. Mentioning golf's positive trajectory, Woods noted that more youngsters are bound to join the sport.

Speaking during his pre-150th Open visit to the media center at St Andrew's, Tiger Woods said:

“I'm very optimistic. We're in the greatest golf boom ever right now because of Covid. It's allowed us as a sport to get outside and be outside and to participate and do some physical activity and get out of the house and still not worry about Covid. There's so many new, young golfers that are coming up, so the game has gotten better, and it's only going to continue to get that way. I hope that we all understand that and continue the growth of the game in a positive way.”

Further emphasizing the game's growth, the ace golfer said that it is vital to educate kids about golf.

“The history of the game is certainly something that I've taken to heart. I think it's a very important part of understanding the development of our game, where we've come from, especially for me, for a person who's had to struggle at times for admittance into clubhouses or onto golf courses. There's so many great champions, like yesterday for instance (in the Celebration of Champions) that I hope some of these kids who were watching at home got a chance to appreciate that, to see them playing out there.”

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy announce TGL

TGL has been announced as an add-on competition to the PGA Tour. Spearheaded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, the league has been designed as a stadium-style team event.

According to the makers, TGL will have fifteen 18-hole regular-season matches. Most importantly, TGL also released renderings indicating that the matches will be played at virtual venues with a simulator.

Speaking about TGL, Woods lauded the idea and called it the "next evolution within professional golf." The PGA Tour champion said he is "excited about blending golf with technology" as a sports fan. He added that the innovative new event would give fans the feel of being in a football stadium or a basketball arena. Woods also noted that the new short format was designed to make the sport appealing to the younger generations.