Trademark Filing Gives Major Hint Over Next TGL Team

The first season of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s tech-infused TGL was generally well received as six franchises competed for the inaugural title at the SoFi Center in Florida, and a recent trademark filing suggests expansion could be on the horizon.

Less than two months after the inaugural season ended, plans appear to be moving forward to introduce a Detroit-based team to the league.

Golf-based X account TeeTimesPub has reported that Motor City Golf Club will be the next TGL team, with Sports Business Journal revealing that TGL Golf Holdings made a filing for a trademark of that name with the USPTO on May 6^th.

It is not yet known which players could be earmarked to join the team, but, like the geographical areas the six existing franchises are named after, Detroit has a rich golf history, including its six-time US Open venue Oakland Hills, while it is the current host city of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic.

That revelation comes just days after McIlroy appeared on CNBC’s Squawk Box, where he described how delighted he was with how the opening TGL season had gone. The Masters champion’s appearance on the show was primarily to discuss the launch of new sports investment fund TPG Sports, but his attention also turned to the league he co-founded, which sees PGA Tour stars use a giant simulator in matches lasting around two hours.

He said: “I think we were thrilled with the first season of TGL. I think when you're, you're creating a new concept and, you know, you're putting it out there into the world for the first time, you're apprehensive. You don't know what the reaction is going to be. But what we've seen is trying to bring golf to a different audience in prime time.”

Early TV ratings were also encouraging, with broadcaster ESPN reporting that the first night of TGL drew viewing figures that peaked at over one million, while Woods’ debut a week later caught the attention of a similar number of fans, more than two concurrent NBA games.

Given those indicators, it would not be a surprise to see the league expand in the future, with Sports Business Journal also reporting that Mike McCarley, the co-founder of the company behind TGL, TMRW Sports, told its CAA World Congress of Sports in April that he had been “pleasantly surprised” at the interest from potential investors in a new franchise.

In the inaugural season, Justin Thomas’ Atlanta Drive GC beat New York Golf Club, which has Xander Schauffele on its roster, to claim the SoFi Cup after two finals matches. McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf, Woods’ Jupiter Links Golf Club, Los Angeles Golf Club, featuring Collin Morikawa, and The Bay Golf Club, which includes Ludvig Aberg in its line-up, are the other four franchises.