Contrary to popular belief in the LIV era of professional golf, a brand-new golf league doesn’t start up every day.
On Sunday, though, a brand-new league is starting up: the WTGL, which is playing its first match at the league’s high-tech facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. on Sunday afternoon. Michelle Wie West’s LAGC will play Lydia Ko’s NYGC at 3 p.m. on ESPN to kick off the festivities, giving golf fans a glimpse of two of the women’s game’s most marketable stars in the new made-for-TV format.
The WTGL — or Women’s TGL — will follow in the footsteps of its male counterpart, taking advantage of a quiet part in the professional golf calendar to welcome stars to a TV-oriented form of simulator golf. But there’s a lot that golf fans still don’t know about the new league, and before things really get started, let’s answer everybody’s biggest questions.
1. First off, what is it?
The WTGL is hoping to bring simulator, primetime, made-for-TV golf to the women’s game. The plan is exactly the same as the TGL — simulator team golf with a shot clock, wacky courses, and lots of hot mics in an arena made for TV. This time, though, LPGA stars will be at the center of the fold, not PGA Tour stars.
2. So, what are the teams?
The WTGL will welcome five teams of five players each, for 25 players.
If your head is still jumbled from the team names dotting TGL and LIV, fear not — you won’t have to commit any extra brain space to the teams included in the WTGL. That’s because they’re operating under the same team names as their TGL counterparts.
The five teams in the league are as follows: Motor City Golf Club, Boston Common Golf, New York Golf Club, Atlanta Drive GC, and Los Angeles Golf Club.
3. OK, great — so who’s playing?
Good question! The top of the Rolex Rankings are well represented in the new league, including Jeeno Thitikul, Lottie Woad, Lydia Ko and Charley Hull — alongside notable names like Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Minjee Lee.
Perhaps the two biggest names worth mentioning, though, are a surprise addition and a surprise subtraction from the rosters. Good news first: Michelle Wie West is emerging from retirement to play a role on the LAGC roster. Wie West will be a natural at navigating the social quirks of the mic’d-up competition — she is a skilled orator and evangelist for the women’s game who has kept close relationships with many of the players in the league. Wie West will play in the first-ever WTGL match on Sunday afternoon.
But maybe you’ve noticed that one particularly famous name is missing from the equation. Nelly Korda, the undisputed top star in the women’s game, will not be playing in the league in its inaugural season.
4. How can I watch the matches?
The WTGL secured a broadcast agreement with Disney and Ion to cover the tournaments throughout the season. Sunday’s inaugural match will take place on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET, and the league’s broadcasts will alternate between ESPN, ESPN2, Ion and ABC throughout the remainder of the season.
5. When are the matches?
Uhh, maybe break out your calendar? Matches will be taking place pretty often over the next six weeks, but are largely held on Sundays and Tuesdays. The vast majority of matches also take place during the 8 p.m. ET primetime window. To make your life a little easier, we’ve listed all the matches below.
WTGL 2026 INAUGURAL SEASON SCHEDULE (all times ET)
REGULAR SEASON
Sun., Nov. 8 – Los Angeles Golf Club vs. New York Golf Club – 3 p.m. – ESPN
Tue., Nov. 10 – Motor City Golf Club vs. Los Angeles Golf Club – 8 p.m. – ION
Mon., Nov. 16 – Boston Common Golf vs. Motor City Golf Club – 8 p.m. – ION
Tue., Nov. 24 – Atlanta Drive GC vs. Boston Common Golf – 8 p.m. – ION
Sun., Nov. 29 – Boston Common Golf vs. New York Golf Club – 1 p.m. – ABC
Sun., Nov. 29 – Motor City Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC – 3:30 p.m. – ABC
Tue., Dec. 1 – New York Golf Club vs. Motor City Golf Club – 8 p.m. – ION
Sun., Dec. 6 – Atlanta Drive GC vs. Los Angeles Golf Club – 8:30 p.m. – ESPN2
Tue., Dec. 8 – New York Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC – 8 p.m. – ION
Tue., Dec. 15 – Los Angeles Golf Club vs. Boston Common Golf – 8 p.m. – ION
SEMIFINALS
Sun., Dec. 20 – Semifinal 1 – Time TBD – ESPN2
Mon., Dec. 21 – Semifinal 2 – 8 p.m. – ION
FINALS (best of three)
Tue., Dec. 22 – Finals Match 1 – 8 p.m. – ESPN2
Wed., Dec. 23 – Finals Match 2 – 7 p.m. – ESPN2
Wed., Dec. 23 – Finals Match 3 (if necessary) – 9 p.m. – ESPN2
HOW TO WATCH
ESPN/ESPN2/ABC matches stream on the ESPN App. ION matches air free over the air and stream on YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Frndly and Peacock. In the UK and Ireland, every match is live on Sky Sports.
6. How long does the season go for?
It’s a breeze! Ten regular season matches will be contested over the next six weeks, followed by as many as five postseason matchups (if needed). The competition will begin on Sunday and culminate on Dec. 23 with a best-of-three final.
7. How much are they playing for?
That’s the exciting part. The opening season of the TGL will be played for $11 million, or roughly half of the $21 million season-long purse for the TGL.
The league’s hope is that the prize number will continue to grow as its success grows. The league has managed to attract the attention of several big-name backers and investors from the women’s sports world, including Alex Morgan, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Aryna Sabalenka, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and more.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: golf.com
