GREG LOVETT/THE PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK
The arena for future TGL league matches deflated Tuesday night as the news surfaced Wednesday afternoon about the SoFi Center.
A photo of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TGL SoFi Center surfaced on Wednesday, generating concern for the new golf league.
The building’s dome collapsed Tuesday night and caused some disruption to the construction site. This deflation happened because of a temporary power system failure.
The news comes just a few days after the Atlanta Drive Golf Club team was unveiled and hours after Sahith Theegala officially joined the Los Angeles Golf Club.
This arena is where the six TGL teams will battle each other beginning in January.
The new league will begin on Jan. 9 on ESPN, as the SoFi Center is located on the Palm Beach State College campus in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Wednesday’s concern initially arose from Twitter user @luckiestgolfer, who originally posted a picture of the deflated dome. Then, @flushingitgolf, another user who has gained notoriety in the golfing world, re-posted it.
Thankfully, there were no injuries, but the tweet made it seem the Jan. 9 start date for TGL is “likely to be delayed.” This social media post spread like wildfire, and golf reporters quickly got to work to clarify what happened and get a statement.
The roof of the TGL’s SoFi Center has collapsed overnight leading to significant disruption to the construction of the arena.
A source says no-one was hurt, but the start of the TGL is likely to be delayed.
Thanks to @luckiestgolfer for the pic. pic.twitter.com/p1120I6OSy
— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) November 15, 2023
A league spokesperson stated the situation and claimed everything would remain on schedule, per Sports Illustrated.
“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,” according to the statement from TMRW Sports.
“The dome section has been further deflated by our crew and will remain down while they work to remedy the situation. There were no injuries, and no technology was impacted. Other work on site will continue.”
Throughout the last few weeks, TGL has unveiled its format, rules, and other elements surrounding the new tech-infused golf league.
The So-Fi Center is 250,000 square feet, which includes massive 65-foot screens. The building is expected to seat around 2,000 fans for the league, which is set to host events through March.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
