Smylie Kaufman has suggested that he supports the call from Nelly Korda for a change to be made as we edge closer to the inaugural season of WTGL.
It is no surprise that WTGL is on its way. While TGL definitely divides golf fans, there certainly appears to be a place in the market for a different type of game.
TGL sees some of the PGA Tour’s best players face off in a simulator inside the SoFi Center. Some of the dialogue between the players can be heard by the audience at home.
It was designed to show a different side to some of the biggest names in the game. Some, such as Justin Thomas and Billy Horschel, have embraced the format. Meanwhile, the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Hideki Matsuyama have not managed to surprise anyone with how they have approached the venture.
Smylie Kaufman agrees with Nelly Korda’s criticism of WTGL
The likes of Charley Hull, Lydia Ko, and Jeeno Thitikul will face off in WTGL. Meanwhile, Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie West will also add to the star power.
There is, however, a notable absentee. Nelly Korda will not be playing in the first season, with the world number one questioning keeping the men and women separate.
Korda is a superstar, so it is a real blow for the league to not have her involved. But speaking on The Smylie Show after Korda won the US Women’s Open this past week, Smylie Kaufman insisted that she was right to question the structure.
“Nelly’s kind of voiced her opinion on when this WTGL thing has come about, how they’re looking to get that league started with the women playing. And Nelly was asked her opinion on it. She said, ‘you know what, it’s great and all, but I think it’d be much better served for us if we were playing with the men’. And I couldn’t agree more,” he said.
“It’s a perfect place for me to digest both getting, you know, titbits and being able to watch the best players in the world, being the men, and then also seeing the best women players in the world playing alongside them and getting to see their personalities and giving me more of a reason to tune in to watch LPGA Tour coverage if I was just a casual golf fan. I would love to see that happen.
“I don’t know when it’s going to happen or how it’s going to happen, but they seem to be dead set on moving to men’s and women’s versions of this. And I don’t think that’s going to be a needle mover for the women in this. So I don’t know where you kind of stand on that, but I would love to see more of a two and two with the women joining up with the men for TGL.”
A real own goal from those in charge of TGL
It makes so much sense to have TGL act as a mixed event. Obviously, it can be tricky to set up a tournament for both men and women, with only a couple of mixed events each year.
But TGL is entertainment. No one is going to talk about Atlanta Drive winning the first ever season of TGL when Justin Thomas’ legacy is discussed in the future.
So it would be fascinating to see Charley Hull take on Rory McIlroy. It would be brilliant to see Lexi Thompson battle with Rickie Fowler.
They can introduce some bizarre rules that make it even more light-hearted. And then, it should indeed help encourage fans of one tour to watch the other more often.
It really does feel like an own goal from those running the two leagues.
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