WTGL 2026: The new high-tech format of the Women's TMRW Golf League is coming

The rumor mill has been churning for a long time, but now there is clarity: the LPGA Tour and TMRW Sports are launching the WTGL, a technical team league for women. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy 's project is thus expanding into female professional sport. Find out everything about the launch, the format and the background to the new Women's TMRW Golf League here.

Golf is on the verge of a digital turning point. On Tuesday, January 6, 2026, officials at the SoFi Center announced a groundbreaking expansion: the WTGL (Women's TMRW Golf League) will officially join the LPGA 's portfolio. From the 2026/2027 season, the best female golfers in the world will compete against each other in an innovative arena format.

A new era: What is the WTGL?

The WTGL sees itself as a modern answer to the classic tournament formats. In a specially designed arena in Florida, the athletes are challenged in short, action-packed team matches. Physical shots on gigantic simulators merge with a real short game area whose topography mechanically adapts to the virtual fairways.

LPGA Commissioner Craig Kessler sees the Women's TMRW Golf League as an important tool to open up the sport to the next generation. At the press conference on Tuesday afternoon, he emphasized that this technological advance is intended to open up new audiences. According to Kessler, the league is an ideal stage to make the sporting excellence and individual characters of the LPGA stars more visible.

Strategic advantages for the LPGA Tour

For the players, the WTGL means one thing above all: more flexibility. Until now, many top stars have spent their winter months at tournament series in Asia. The new league now offers a top-class competition platform directly in the USA.

Mike McCarley, the man behind TMRW Sports, explained to members of the press (including Golfweek) that the WTGL is not intended to attack the global success of the LPGA, but to complement it. They are working closely together to ensure that the event dates complement the regular Tour. McCarley also reported a tremendous response from potential investors immediately after the announcement.

Stars you can touch: The "Mic'd up" concept

Direct communication will be at the heart of the broadcasts. In order to bring the fans closer to the action, the participants will wear microphones throughout the match, just as they do in the men's TGL. Kessler drew parallels with American football: on Tuesday, he recalled how the immediate acoustics on the NFL field - from the heavy breathing to the cheering - fascinated him as a child. This feeling of direct participation should now also find its way into women's golf.

Who will play in the WTGL?

Although the official team squads will only be finalized in the coming months, there are already prominent signs of the line-up. Lexi Thompson was spotted training at the SoFi Center on the day of the announcement. In addition, the financial foundation has been secured by prominent financial backers: sports icons such as the Williams sisters and Michelle Wie West are already involved in the TGL structure as investors and are also likely to play a key role in the women's division.