PALM BEACH GARDENS — WTGL has put together an impressive roster of LPGA stars, major champions and fan favorites for the high-tech, indoor golf league’s inaugural season.
But that does not include the biggest name in the sport.
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The league, created by TMRW Sports and the LPGA, had discussions with Nelly Korda. But the world No. 1 and four-time major champion decided to sit it out … for now.
The league, though, will not give up on securing the Bradenton resident and most popular women’s golfer in the world.
“We had lots of conversations with Nelly and her team, and effectively the decision was made that she wasn’t going to participate in season one,” Rufus Hack, president of golf for TMRW Sports, said at the WTGL Media Day on Sept 20.
“The door is certainly not closed for season two and beyond, and we continue to have very constructive conversations. And we would love Nelly to be part of WTGL at some point.”
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The inaugural WTGL season starts at SoFi Center Nov. 8 with a match featuring Los Angeles Golf Club and New York Golf Club, two of the five founding franchises. The league includes 10 players in the top 25 of the world rankings along with fan favorites Lexi Thompson and Michelle Wie West.
“We’ve got 25 of the world’s best golfers, huge personalities, as well as world-class players, and we’re really focused on who we have got here,” Hack said.
Korda told Golfweek in January she has “mixed feelings” about WTGL.
“I’m surprised no other girls have … really spoken out about it,” Korda said. “I think it’s a huge and unbelievable miss that we’re not playing alongside the men (who play TGL). There’s no greater way to grow the game, and it would have been revolutionary.
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“It would have been the first time that men and women were on the same playing field, playing for the same amount of money. But I also think it’s great that we are getting this opportunity, so those are my mixed feelings.”
WTGL is following the same format as TGL, which is comprised of PGA Tour members. TGL will enter its third season at the conclusion of the WTGL season.
For the first two seasons, TGL offered a $21 million purse, including $9 million going to the winning team down to $1.5 million for the sixth-place team. The teams split their winnings among at least four players. The money is likely to increase for the third season with TGL adding a team (Motor City) and each team adding a fifth player.
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That number is close to the average purse for a men’s major.
While WTGL has not revealed its purse, it is expected to be about the average of the five women’s majors, which is $10.72 million.
WTGL’s five women’s teams consists of five golfers each.
Some golfers have cited a scheduling conflict when it comes to playing WTGL and TGL. The TGL roster is similar to WTGL with a similar number of top 25 golfers in the world ranking and the world No. 1 for the men, Scottie Scheffler, does not play TGL.
“There is a multitude of factors when you’re putting together a schedule, particularly when you’re putting together a schedule that needs to be complementary to another professional tour,” Hack said about scheduling TGL and WTGL with its participants playing on the PGA or LPGA tour.
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“There are some levels of flexibility given that we’re primarily looking to play in the LPGA off season. But then there are other considerations like we have a high percentage of international players on WTGL, and some of those players like to travel and spend time in their home country.”
WTGL includes five of the seven TGL franchises — Atlanta Drive GC, Boston Common Golf, Los Angeles, Motor City Golf Club, New York. It does not included Jupiter Links GC, which is co-owned by Tiger Woods‘ TGR Ventures. Woods and Rory McIlroy founded TMRW Sports along with Mike McCarley.
Korda’s first meeting with Woods, at the 2021 PNC Championship in Orlando, went viral with Korda becoming starstruck and asking Woods is for his autograph and if she could take a photograph.
“Dream come true,” is how Korda described the moment.
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Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Where’s Nelly? WTGL says ‘door not closed’ for Nelly Korda in future
