Although the Los Angeles Golf Club won the SoFi Cup, the real headline for the $500 million-worth TGL was that it had its biggest star back – Tiger Woods. Woods was back in competition for the first time in more than a year. And his presence immediately injected life into a league that has been grappling with declining viewership in its second season.

“TGL doesn’t quite cross 1M viewers but comes close: 989,000 viewers for Tuesday’s match as Tiger returned,” shared golf and sports media personality, Josh Carpenter.

Adding to that, it became the “second most-watched match ever for the league, behind Tiger’s debut in TGL’s second match ever (1.005M). Tuesday peaked at 1.15M and averaged 1.09M from 7:30-8:30pm”.

Well, Woods’ return wasn’t really a long-planned comeback. He had surgery in October and hadn’t played in any competitive events since then. And while Akshay Bhatia stepped in as his replacement, he was away during the finals to participate in the Hero Indian Open. So, two things happened at once: his team needed him in a must-win situation, and a roster gap opened up.

Yet, as Woods said, his participation was absolutely last-minute.

“Probably yesterday,” Woods told Van Pelt when asked about the timing of his decision. “It’s been a while. You know it’s one of those things where I wanna contribute to the team. I’ve been a cheerleader along all these matches, and I just want to contribute.”

That late twist did contribute in its own way.

The increase in viewership from TGL’s postseason games has brought the average number of viewers in Season 1 (498K) close to the average number of viewers from Season 2 (down 2% to 488K). Season 2 also saw an average of 618K for the four playoff matches compared to the 2025 playoff average of 434K per playoff match.

Overall, viewership for March matches increased by 73% compared to last March (556,000 per match in 2026 vs. 322,000 per match in 2025). And according to TGL‘s social media report, TGL had a YOY increase of 86% in video viewership with a total of 232 million in Season 2 compared to 81.3 million in 2025. In fact, TGL had 44 social media videos that garnered more than 1 million views this season. 

So, Woods’ return showed that when his name starts making headlines, people tune in, which was rather necessary after the concerning dip.

Even with Rory McIlroy and a stacked roster, TGL simply wasn’t able to move upwards. Early 2026 numbers raised alarms as the season opener dropped to 646,000 viewers from 919,000 the year before, and McIlroy’s own Boston Common match managed just 354,000 viewers.

At the mid-point of the 2026 season, TGL’s viewership numbers averaged 508,000 viewers in comparison to 643,000 during the first season in mid-February. Even broader trends showed inconsistency, with broadcasts hovering around the mid-400K to 500K range despite star power.

Now, as things seem to be getting better, Tiger Woods and co. have already announced the Women’s Tech League to begin soon. And immediately, a tech mogul, who has been an ardent supporter of women’s sports, decided to invest in WTGL.

Alexis Ohanian invests $20M in Tiger Woods’ women’s tech league

While questions around sustained viewership linger, the tech league’s expansion plans signal confidence and have continued to attract serious financial backing. The newly announced Women’s Tech Golf League (WTGL) has already secured a major boost, with Alexis Ohanian stepping in as a key investor.

Ohanian stated, “All it takes is a couple of generational talents on a big enough stage to change the entire perception of the sport. Golf is one of those sports that is so on the precipice. You can see it online. You can see the creator economy telling the story of this sport. This format of TGL is so perfect for the online generation. Again, I say this as a Reddit guy. Take my word for it. It is perfectly built for the social media age.”

The tech entrepreneur, whose net worth is estimated at around $150 million, is set to pour close to $20 million into owning a women’s franchise. He has long been a vocal advocate for women’s sports. And now with his backing, fans cannot wait to witness how the debut season for the WTGL turns out at the end of this year.