It all started in November 2024 when LPGA Commissioner Mollie Marcoux Samaan hinted at “exploring synergies” with TGL. Fans hoped, and golfers wondered: Would women get their own league? The hopes came true on January 7, 2026, when TMRW Sports and TGL announced WTGL in collaboration with the LPGA. At the center of it all was Lexi Thompson.
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Before the Atlanta Drive vs. Bay Golf Club happened, the WTGL announcement was made. Thompson spoke to SportsCenter about the launch and seemed very excited about the women’s league.
“I think it means so much. What TGL has done for the guys—it just brings a whole different fan base to the game of golf. I think that’s what’s needed,” Thompson noted enthusiastically. “It’s quicker golf, different shots, obviously hitting into a screen, but having all those numbers… I think fans really get involved more and see the personalities of the guys, and now the women.”
“To me, one of my favorite parts of doing TGL is getting to know the players more. In our day-to-day tournaments, people don’t get to see our personalities because we’re there to win. Of course, here it’s very competitive too, but you get the trash talking and get to know the personalities of these players,” the 30-year-old said.
What makes Thompson’s involvement even more significant is her storied LPGA career.
She turned pro at just 15 and became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. She captured her first major at the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship at age 19. With 11 LPGA Tour victories, she’s been a consistent force in women’s golf for over a decade. Now playing a limited schedule, Thompson will surely help construct the WTGL platform from the ground up.
Set to launch in winter 2026-2027, with Thompson front and center for the announcement, WTGL will reveal its full roster of players, team compositions, investors, and broadcast partners in the coming months.
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Well, the move to launch a women’s exclusive league didn’t happen overnight.
The LPGA and TGL had been in discussions for years, exploring everything from mixed competitions to a standalone women’s league. ”The LPGA should be in every conversation about golf,” Marcoux Samaan once emphasized.
Back in February, when Rose Zhang acquired the Bay Golf Club, she opened up about her interest in TGL. Then there is Michelle Wie West. She is also part-owner of Collin Morikawa’s team and expressed her interest in women playing in the indoor league. Even golfer Lilia Vu echoed the same emotion, saying, “I think it would be really cool not to get a women’s version of it, but to get a women’s team on it.” Jeeno Thitikul also thinks indoor golf will be fun.
With the LPGA announcing a record $131 million prize fund for 2025, WTGL arrives at the perfect moment to capitalize on women’s golf’s explosive growth. Beyond Lexi Thompson’s and others’ excitement, the league’s management is very positive about WTGL’s growth potential.
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Management’s optimism for WTGL’s future
McCarley stressed the most important thing right now: getting WTGL with the best players and an LPGA partnership by the end of 2026. There is already a lot of interest from players, and several global stars are already talking about it. Many famous people, like Thompson, have already been to the SoFi Center. In the next few months, there will be news about the first player and team.
Craig Kessler, the LPGA Commissioner, said that the agreement was a strategic milestone that fit with the organization’s objective for growth. “The platform WTGL will create for our athletes around the world is remarkable,” Kessler said. “The chance for fans to get to know our athletes and their personalities—what a gift to be able to do that.”
Kessler used his time at Topgolf to show how innovation can change golf. He said, “When innovation meets golf, some amazing things can happen, particularly in terms of growing the game.” TGL and WTGL are two more strong examples of this coming together.
And the timing couldn’t be more perfect, given how golf is changing. More than 9 million Americans have played simulator golf since 2020, more than doubling the number of players. More women than ever are playing traditional golf, with over 8 million women playing on-course in 2025. Women who participate in the course are significantly more likely to do so, making them the ideal audience.
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