JTBC gets rights to new Tiger Woods-backed golf league

Tiger Woods smiles before he plays his shot from the first tee during the PNC Championship at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on December 17, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The new Tiger Woods-backed golf league, TGL presented by SoFi, on Wednesday announced Korean broadcaster JTBC, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, and its subsidiary Phoenix Sports International, as one of its first three international media partners in a press release.

The league, backed by the Woods- and Rory McIlroy-founded TMRW Sports, is also partnering with Fox Sports in Australia and the broadcaster U-NEXT in Japan. It is set to launch in January 2025.

“Golf is truly a global game and as we plan the launch of TGL presented by SoFi in 2025, we’re focused on expanding TGL's global footprint,” Mike McCarley, CEO and co-founder of TMRW Sports, said in the press release. “We’re starting with media rights partnerships across three strong golf markets: Australia, Japan, and South Korea. We’re energized by the enthusiasm from these partners and the momentum we’re seeing in additional markets around the world.”

The Woods and McIlroy-backed venture is a team golf league that is set to pit six teams of players on the PGA Tour against one another at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida in a “fast-paced” version of the sport. Each player will be hooked up to a mic.

Among the committed players is Korea’s Tom Kim, also known as Kim Joo-hyung, who is ranked No. 21 in the PGA as of press time Thursday.

Kim, 21, has three career PGA victories since making his debut on the Tour in 2022. He earned his first at the Wyndham Championship in 2022 and his second at the Shriners Children’s Hospital Open later that year. He took his third victory with another Shriners win in 2023, becoming the second golfer to win the same tournament twice in one season.

Tom Kim successfully defends title at Shriners Children’s Open

Each of the named broadcasters also holds rights to the PGA Tour. The first three matches of the TGL have been scheduled to premiere on consecutive Tuesdays in January and will also be broadcast on ESPN.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]