Tiger Woods new golf league faces dome collapse
Tiger Woods of the United States catches a ball on the practice area during the third round of the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 08, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia.
Andrew Redington | Getty Images
Extensive damage at a Florida dome venue is potentially a big blow to the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-backed tech-infused golf league two months out from its launch.
Photos surfaced earlier this week showing that the air-supported SoFi Center dome, located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, had collapsed due to a power outage.
“We are still assessing the damage and determining the impact on our timelines,” the league, TGL, told CNBC.
The indoor golf league, which counts the PGA Tour as a partner, is slated to launch on Jan. 9, featuring about two dozen tour golfers. ESPN and ESPN+ are set to show the matches.
The venue was custom built for the league.
The league addressed the collapse earlier this week. “An overnight failure to the temporary power system used during the construction phase caused partial deflation and limited damage to the air-supported dome section of the site,” it said. “The dome section has been further deflated by our crew and will remain down while they work to remedy the situation.”
The roof collapse is yet another headache for the nascent league. Earlier this month, Jon Rahm, the 2023 Masters winner, abruptly pulled out of TGL.
“While I still think it’s a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer,” Rahm said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The TGL developments also come as the PGA Tour pursues a controversial business partnership with Saudi-funded rival LIV Golf.
–CNBC’s Jessica Golden contributed to this report.
Original: Business News: Tiger Woods new golf league faces dome collapse