Tiger Woods has always been a visionary. During his playing days, he elevated the sport to an unimaginable level. And now, as the legendary golfer is trying to bring in more innovations, the expectation was that the community would react in the affirmative. Unfortunately, things have not been going so great lately. 

“ESPN averaged 649,000 viewers for Tuesday night’s @GL Season 2 regular-season finale, per Nielsen/@PIUpdate figures,” read a post from David Rumsey on X.

Last year, Woods introduced the concept of TGL, a tech-based golf league. Instantly, the latest version of the good old golf generated mass excitement. And following the huge response in its maiden year, the TGL came back this year with even more pop and show. However, as the season rolled on, the stark contrast in the viewership numbers was evident. 

Right from week 1, there was a sharp dip in the viewership. Last year, the opener garnered 919k ratings. But this year, the opening game saw only 646k viewership. The biggest drop, however, came in the second week of the tournament. As per reports, last year, week 2 ratings were soaring at 1.05 million, as opposed to the horrendous 354k in 2026. 

Thankfully, the only glimmer of hope came when in week 5, the 2026’s 651k ratings overtook last year’s 544k by quite a healthy margin. Notably, the golfing legend has been trying his best to up the ante of his tech-based league. As part of a major promotional campaign, Woods roped in NFL star Jason Kelce to attend TGL matches. And if that was not enough, he also had Travis Kelce in attendance this Tuesday when the Bay Golf Club took on the Jupiter Links. 

Notably, with the playoffs round the corner, one thing that has gone in his favor is Jupiter Links GC advancing to the playoffs. Playing against the Bay Golf Club, Tom Kim hit a hole-in-one to take Woods’ team through. Now, one of the possible reasons for the low ratings might have been the absence of Woods himself due to his surgery. If he can make a comeback in the playoffs, there is no telling that the viewership will most probably skyrocket. 

Meanwhile, amidst the declining ratings, the TGL owner has clarified his stance on the burning issue. 

TGL faces viewership drop as ESPN deal nears end this season

Tiger Woods and team had signed signed a deal with ESPN back in 2023. The co-founder of the league, Mike McCarley, recently talked about their deal with ESPN, which would come to an end this season.

Mike McCarley reflected on their deal with ESPN a few weeks back and stated, “We got off to a good start. I think some of the things that we’re still working through — and ESPN has been a very good thought partner on this — are when you do have the opportunity to be flexible on the schedule given the PGA Tour schedule.” 

TGL has garnered half a million views from ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC. However, the slots assigned to the tech league while the channels juggle it with other sports have taken a toll on viewership. Moreover, the league has experienced a fall in its ratings with the season opener on ABC averaging 646,000 viewers.

Although the ratings at the moment are still considered decent for indoor golf against NFL competition, the 2026 season opener saw a roughly 30% drop in viewership compared to the initial 2025 debut. Despite the high-tech, fast-paced promise, the golf community has expressed complaints about the broadcast. Fans have even labelled it “slow”. Now, as the second season approaches its end at the end of March, it will be interesting to see how the upcoming days will unfold for McIlroy and Woods’ TGL.