Get ready for golf.

The opening match will air on ESPN and ESPN+ live from SoFi Center, on the campus of Palm Beach State College, where TGL presented by SoFi begins at the nearly 250,000-square-foot arena designed to host a new, fast-paced team golf competition featuring some of the biggest names in the sport.

In case you need a quick primer on how it works, let's dive into the basics of a match.

TGL Explained

Three players from each team will go head-to-head in a 15-hole match featuring two different formats – nine holes of Triples and six holes of Singles – across a selection of custom-designed holes.

Triples is an alternate-shot format where players will take turns teeing off from hole-to-hole and rotate hitting shots until the hole is finished. Individual players will go head-to-head in a predetermined rotation over the six Singles holes. Each team member will play two Singles holes so, for example, the two players who square off on hole No. 10 will face each other again in Singles on hole No. 13.

TGL 101: Everything you need to know about season 1

Every hole is worth one point unless the Hammer is played (more on that below). The team with the most points at the end of the match wins.

The Bay Golf Club holds the honor on Tuesday and will start with the Hammer, which raises the stakes of a hole by one point when played and accepted. The other team then takes possession of the Hammer and could choose to throw it on the same hole, making the hole worth three points, or hold on to it until later in the match.

Teams can decline the Hammer but by doing so concede the hole and the points on offer. However, teams can’t decline the Hammer when it is thrown before the first tee shot on a given hole.

The match will go to Overtime if tied after 15 holes, with teams competing in a best two-out-of-three closest-to-the-pin competition to determine the winner.

Lineups

3 Things to Know

Bay’s Big Hitters: It’s safe to say The Bay Golf Club will be confident off the tee. Tuesday’s lineup of Clark, Åberg and Lowry combined for an average driving distance of 308.1 yards on the PGA TOUR in 2024, nearly seven yards more than Schauffele, Fowler and Fitzpatrick’s combined average of 301.7 yards.

Players will see five par 5s Tuesday night, with the first four all playing 590-plus yards. The final hole of the night, the par-5 Quick Draw, can play as long as 720 yards from the tips.

NYGC For Three: New York Golf Club should feast on the Par 3s. Schauffele led the PGA TOUR in par-3 scoring average last season at 2.92, while Fitzpatrick was eighth at 2.98. TBGC has three stellar iron players in the lineup as well, with Lowry ranked 12th and Åberg 21st in Strokes Gained Approach The Green for the 2024 season.

We will see five par 3s on Tuesday – beginning with the 210-yard par-3 third hole, Set in Stone, and the 175-yard par-3 fifth hole, Craic On. These could be crucial swing holes with several timely Hammer opportunities as NYGC looks to take dead aim entering the 2025 TGL season.

If You Build It, They Will Swing: Tuesday marks the first time a worldwide audience will get their sights on SoFi Center, the brand new arena built specifically for TGL.

Players will hit into a massive 64’x53’ Screen from two hitting areas, the back box and the front box, depending on the distance to the hole. Each box also features three different hitting areas made up of real fairway grass, real rough and real sand.

Then, once players are within approximately 50 yards of the hole, TGL’s SkyMark technology will show them exactly where to place their ball on the Green or surrounding area.

Singles Matchups

Rickie Fowler vs. Shane Lowry: Fowler and Lowry get Singles started at No. 10, the 627-yard par-5 Serpent. Lowry is slightly longer off the tee, but this is likely a three-shot hole in which accuracy is more important than distance. At No. 13, the par-4 Straight Up, water lines the left side of the fairway with sand all down the right.

Matt Fitzpatrick vs. Wyndham Clark: Two US Open champions go toe-to-toe for the second hole of Singles, a 535-yard par 4 called Alpine. Clark has a distance advantage based on PGA TOUR data, but the fairway on this hole runs right to left and could be perfectly suited for Fitzpatrick’s preferred baby draw off the tee. They’ll also see a 178-yard par 3, On The Rocks, playing as the 14th hole.

Xander Schauffele vs. Ludvig Åberg: Schauffele and Åberg will take on the anchor role for Singles, beginning at the 240-yard par 3 Cliffhanger. On the 15th and final hole, Quick Draw, the pressure will be on at the par 5 that invites players to go for an island fairway that rises on a plateau from the canyon floor. Schauffele and Åberg are both among the best in the world with driver, so this one could come down to a big birdie putt.

The Course

Tuesday’s course begins with the 380-yard par-4, The Plank, and concludes with Quick Draw – a sprawling par 5 set in a desert canyon.

Players will also need to dig deep off the tee Tuesday on two massive par 4s. The par-4 eighth hole, Flex, is 528 yards while the par-4 11th hole, Alpine, is even longer at 535 yards.

HOLE DESIGNS: Check out the full library of TGL holes

TBGC and NYGC will conclude Triples on The Spear, a wild-looking 604-yard risk-reward par-5.

HOLE SPOTLIGHT

No. 1: The Plank, Par 4, 380 Yards

History will be made Tuesday night when TBGC and NYGC share the honor of sending the first tee shots on opening night for TGL presented by SoFi. TBGC's Shane Lowry will take the very first tee shot, followed by Rickie Fowler for NYGC.

The Plank will be played in Triples, meaning players will rotate in alternate-shot format until the hole is complete.

This isn’t exactly a handshake opener despite the listed yardage. Players may be wise to club down and try to avoid the seven zig-zagging fairway bunkers, which don’t leave a ton of room for ideal landing areas with driver.