The spotlight was meant to fall on a potential Tiger Woods vs Rory McIlroy showdown in this second season of TGL. However, attention has quickly shifted elsewhere. Woods would not be playing for Jupiter Links in the final stretch of the TGL season. Although the cutting-edge format and technology continue to draw praise, television ratings have reportedly dipped compared to its launch season. This has sparked wider conversation in the golf circle. 

In the recent episode of Golf Channel‘s podcast with Rex and Lav, which premiered on February 26, Rex Hoggard, who attended the match play, reflected on TGL’s second season and said, “I’m still impressed with the product. I’m impressed with the vibe. I’m impressed with just the technology that goes into it, all the things we touched on last year. I think if you’re going to sit down and be critical about this, and I think you probably should when you look at the ratings, the ratings have dropped off this year, whatever that means.”

“Everything about it speaks very well of it. What they desperately need, and they’re trending in that direction, is for Rory’s team to play well. You need him in the playoffs. This goes back to putting out your best possible product”, added Rex.

Woods and McIlroy’s tech league entered its second year, aiming to build on a strong debut campaign. But now with Woods remaining absent from the competition, the PGA Tour insider pointed out how the league badly requires stronger star-driven momentum, particularly from McIlroy’s side, to keep the stakes high. 

Hoggard further hinted at how TV ratings just reveal a part of the whole picture and cannot be considered the only factor to determine the success of an event. He mentioned that TGL, as a product, still appears strong. They have further improved the arena. Ryan Lavner, aka Lav, too, echoed the same thought regarding the television ratings debacle.

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“I certainly understand that. And obviously, there’s at least a growing expectation that maybe we could see Tiger Woods in the next week, week and a half play a match as he’s gearing up potentially to play in the Masters as well”, added Lavner.

Lavner then pointed out that around 25% of the players early in the season were substitutes, not the originally announced stars. Such a change not only disrupts team chemistry but also weakens fan attachment. 

Although Hoggard and Lavner are looking forward to the next season already, questions around player continuity, scheduling, and viewership trends have been forcing TGL to look into the scenario through a different lens. And without Woods in the lineup, the pressure to deliver marquee moments has only intensified. Meanwhile, two names from the world of the NFL have shared their unfiltered opinion on the tech league.

Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce share their thoughts on TGL despite widespread scrutiny

As the TGL entered its second edition, the hype around the tech-backed league was shooting through the roof. Attracting fans from all over the country, NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce, too, seemed to have been mightily impressed by the Rory McIlroy-Tiger Woods-initiated tech league. Speaking on an episode of their ‘New Heights’ podcast, the Kelce brothers have revealed how they are super excited to attend the tech-bonanza in person next week. 

“I’ve heard from everybody how state-of-the-art and incredible the technology is, so I can’t wait to check it out firsthand. What Tiger and all those guys down at TGL have done is just remarkable,” said Jason. 

Travis, too, looked pretty interested in attending the event as he requested the former Philadelphia Eagles star to hand him an invitation. Well, such enthusiasm towards golf from the Kelce brothers did not come as a surprise. The duo has already been featured at the WM Phoenix Open and the Pebble Beach Pro-Ams, two of the biggest events of the PGA Tour. 

However, despite the excitement from the NFL stars, the tech-based league has been subjected to controversy. During its initial games, problems with the Full Swing simulator were noticed. Producing some invalid readings, the simulator once portrayed Tommy Fleetwood’s pure strike as a weak dribble. And that’s not all. 

The ball physics, too, have come under scrutiny. There have been instances where wedge shots from perfect lies have gone 20-30 yards beyond the target. Such a glitch made it evident that the alleged ‘state-of-the-art’ technique might have failed to accurately project 3D to 2D. Thus, with mixed emotions surrounding the second edition of the TGL, fans will be eager to know what comes next.