The WTGL’s debut match on November 8 pulled an average of 97,000 viewers, peaking at 138,000, even while going head-to-head with the NFL, men’s golf, and NASCAR. Talk about jumping into the deep end!
Going Head-to-Head with Giants and Still Winning
The SoFi Center on November 8 was electric, seeing the Los Angeles Golf Club take down New York Golf Club, 3-1. But the real story? This inaugural match was on ESPN and battling for eyeballs against some serious heavyweights: the NFL, the Golf Channel’s World Wide Technology Championship, and NASCAR. Despite that insane competition, the WTGL raked in an average of 97,000 viewers, hitting a peak of 138,000! To put that in perspective, the WWT, which even featured a playoff between Blades Brown and Ben James (who are now playing for TGL, by the way), only averaged 110,000 viewers. And get this: the WTGL’s debut was the third highest women’s golf telecast out of 24 events since the Solheim Cup back on September 13. With Alison Lee, Michelle Wie West, and Gaby Lopez celebrating that winning putt for LA, it was a huge statement right out of the gate!
What the Players Are Saying About This New Format
It wasn’t just the viewers showing up; the players are absolutely buzzing about this format. Los Angeles’s Michelle Wie West summed it up perfectly. She said, “Witnessing LPGA players and LPGA stars in this format is so different.” She’s right! Wie West highlighted how the league showcases “amazing players and personalities” and gives fans “so many statistics on the screen” with every single shot. That’s something she feels is “missing from our normal broadcast.” For two hours, she believes, existing LPGA fans can see players in a “whole different light” and it’s going to “attract new fans as well too.” This league follows the TGL, the men’s version co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, which is already in its third year. WTGL’s second match, broadcast on ION on November 10, is already in the books, showing this isn’t just a one-off thing.
So, what’s next for the WTGL? With an opening act that drew nearly 100,000 viewers against the NFL and got rave reviews from players like Michelle Wie West, this league is clearly onto something. They’re serving up women’s golf in a fresh, compelling way that’s attracting serious attention. Keep an eye on the WTGL, because this could really change how we watch the game!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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