Contrary to popular belief in the LIV era of professional golf, a new golf league doesn’t start every day.
Sunday, however, a new league is it start: the WTGLwhich is playing its first game in the league’s high-tech facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Sunday afternoon. LAGC by Michelle Wie West to play NYGC by Lydia Ko 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 host stars in a form of TV-oriented golf simulator. But there is a lot that golf fans still do not know about the new league, and before things indeed get started, let’s answer everyone’s biggest questions.
1. First, what is it?
The WTGL hopes to bring simulator, primetime, made-for-TV golf to the women’s game. The plan is exactly the same as the TGL – team golf simulator with a running clock, crazy courses, and lots of hot mics in a made-for-TV arena. This time, however, LPGA stars will be at the center of the fold, not PGA Tour stars.
2. So, what are teams?
The WTGL hosts five teams of five players each, for 25 players.
If your head is still confused by the names of the teams that dot the 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 operate 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 what’s playing?
Good question! The top of the Rolex Rankings is well represented in the new league, including Jeeno Thitikul, Lottie Woad, Lydia Ko and Charley Hull – alongside notable names such as Lexi Thompson, Rose Zhang and Minjee Lee.
Perhaps the two biggest names worth mentioning, however, are a surprise addition and a surprise subtraction from the lists. First good news: Michelle Wie West is coming out of retirement to play a role on the LAGC roster. Wie West will be a natural at navigating the social quirks of mic’d-up competition – she’s a skilled public speaker and evangelist for the women’s game who has maintained close relationships with many of the league’s players. Wie West will play in the first WTGL game on Sunday afternoon.
But you may have noticed that it is a particularly famous name missing from the equation. Nelly Korda, the undisputed first 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 deal with Disney and Ion to cover the tournaments throughout the season. Sunday’s opener will take place on ESPN at 3 pm ET, and the league’s broadcasts will alternate between ESPN, ESPN2, Ion and ABC for the rest of the season.
5. When are the parties?
Uhh, maybe check your calendar? Matches will take place quite often over the next six weeks, but are largely held on Sundays and Tuesdays. Most matches are also made during the prime time window of 8 pm ET. To make your life a little easier, we’ve listed all the matches below.
WTGL 2026 SEASON OPENING SCHEDULE (all times ET)
REGULAR SEASON Sun., Nov. 8 – Los Angeles Golf Club vs. New York Golf Club – 3 pm – ESPN Tuesday, November 10 – Motor City Golf Club vs. Los Angeles Golf Club – 8 a.m. – ION Mon., Nov. 16 – Boston Common Golf vs. Motor City Golf Club – 8 pm – ION Tuesday, November 24 – Atlanta Drive GC vs. Boston Common Golf – 8 a.m. – ION Sun., Nov. 29 – Boston Common Golf vs. New York Golf Club – 1 pm – ABC Sun., Nov. 29 – Motor City Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC – 3:30 pm – ABC Tuesday, December 1 – New York Golf Club vs. Motor City Golf Club – 8 pm – ION Sun., Dec. 6 – Atlanta Drive GC vs Los Angeles Golf Club – 8:30pm – ESPN2 Tuesday, December 8 – New York Golf Club vs. Atlanta Drive GC – 8 pm – ION Tuesday, December 15 – Los Angeles Golf Club vs. Boston Common Golf – 8 a.m. – ION
SEMI-FINALS Sun., Dec. 20 – Semifinal 1 – Time TBD – ESPN2 Monday, December 21 – Semifinal 2 – 8 pm – ION
FINALS (best of three) Tuesday, December 22 – Final Match 1 – 8 pm – ESPN2 Wednesday, December 23 – Final Match 2 – 7 pm – ESPN2 Wednesday, December 23 – Final Match 3 (if necessary) – 9:00 PM – ESPN2
HOW TO WATCH ESPN/ESPN2/ABC stream games on the ESPN app. ION matches free to air and streaming on YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo, Frndly and Peacock. In the UK and Ireland, every match is live on Sky Sports.
6. How long is the season?
It’s a breeze! Ten regular season games will be contested over the next six weeks, followed by five postseason games (if necessary). The competition will begin on Sunday and culminate on December 23 with a best-of-three final.
7. How much do they play?
That’s the exciting part. The opening season of the TGL will be played for $11 million, or about half of the season purse of $21 million for the TGL.
The league’s hope is that the number of awards will continue to grow as its success grows. The league was able to attract the attention of many high-profile supporters and investors from the world of women’s sports, including Alex Morgan, Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Aryna Sabalenka, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart and others.
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