Scott And Morikawa To Join Woods And McIlroy's Golf League

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's upcoming Monday night golf league, TGL, which is being launched by the pair's TMRW Sports in conjuntion with the PGA Tour, has already recruited some big-name players. 

Now, along with the previously confirmed Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, two more high-profile players have been added to the roster for the tech-focused golf league – 2013 Masters winner Adam Scott and 2021 Open champion Collin Morikawa.

Tiger Woods welcomed the announcement on Twitter, writing: "Thrilled to welcome @collin_morikawa and Adam Scott ro @TGL. Our roster of players keeps getting better and better, and I can't wait to square off against these two when the league debuts next year."

Earlier, Sports Illustrated reported that the involvement of Woods was pivotal in Scott’s decision to sign up. Citing the 15-time Major winner’s influence on the game, Scott said: “We never saw much ‘side-taking’ from Tiger during his career. That’s fair enough, he was a competitor and he was interested in what he was doing. Now, he’s showing his feelings on things. Creating something like TGL with Rory is just another example of how he is having an impact on the game. Certainly when Tiger goes in on something, it’s going to have an impact no matter what.”

There is certainly plenty of anticipation for the new team-based league, which is scheduled to begin in winter 2024. It will feature six teams of three PGA Tour players in head-to-head 18-hole match play competition on a virtual course. The season, whose tournaments will be played on prime-time TV in two-hour slots, will feature 15 regular-season matches followed by semi-finals and finals, with the action taking place in a special arena in Palm Beach.

Scott explained that the league comes along at a good time given the growing appetite for simulator golf around the world. He said: “I’ve seen an uptick in simulator golf when I travel outside of the United States, especially through Asia. There are tournaments with thousands of entrants playing against each other. It’s simple, not everyone can access a golf course.

“Looking at the younger generation - there are so many people into gaming. It’s kind of like a hybrid of gaming, but you’re not playing strictly on a console. Seeing how quickly it’s been picked up overseas, TGL will really compliment everything I’m seeing and it will have a huge impact certainly with the names that are behind it.”

Last week, it was revealed Scott closed the door on LIV Golf after joining the PGA Tour’s PAC. He thinks that new role, combined with his involvement in TGL, will help him have a greater influence of the direction of the game. He said: “Although they’re very separate things, if you’re going to try to have a voice that has any influence at all, amongst the members of the PAC or even the Tour members as a whole, I think you have to lead by example. To be on the PAC and sit there and talk a big game is one thing, but maybe some of these other things I’m doing will help me be a voice of reason on these committees going forward.”

With the addition of Scott and Morikawa to the league, that means the six players it has recruited so far have amassed 24 Majors between them, with five achieving the World No.1 position. With 12 more players to come, it looks like living up expectations as one of the most intriguing and anticipated events of 2024.