McIlroy backs standalone women's TGL, diverging from Korda

Rory McIlroy (37, Northern Ireland) has voiced support for running the women's indoor golf league WTGL as a standalone competition, saying it is better to give women players their own stage rather than compete alongside men — a view that puts him at odds with Nelly Korda (28, United States), who had previously criticized the decision to keep the leagues separate.

talkSPORT and other outlets reported Tuesday that McIlroy shared his views on the WTGL's format during a DP World Tour event recently held in India.

"I think giving the women their own platform is a great thing," McIlroy said, adding that mixed-gender teams had also been discussed during the planning of the WTGL.

He said male players would support the women and attend their matches, which would help raise the league's overall profile, but stressed that "it's important for the women to have their own stage and grow on their own."

McIlroy said the men's TGL had done a positive job of showcasing players' personalities and revealing new sides of them, and he hoped the women's league would have the same effect.

His remarks contrast with comments Korda made in January. In an interview with Golfweek at the time, Korda criticized the decision to launch a separate women's league instead of an integrated mixed competition, calling it "an incredible, almost unbelievable missed opportunity."

Korda said men and women could have competed on the same stage for exactly the same prize money, and argued that a mixed league would have been a groundbreaking step in growing the sport's reach. Her remarks reflected disappointment at the failure to seize that opportunity rather than opposition to a women's league itself.

TGL is an indoor screen-golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods (51, United States) and McIlroy. It combines simulated shots on a large screen with play on a real green in a team format, and the men's league launched last year.

The women's league, WTGL, is set to begin its first season on Nov. 8 at SoFi Center in Florida. Lydia Ko (29, New Zealand), Brooke Henderson (29, Canada), Lexi Thompson (31, United States) and Charley Hull (30, England) are among the participants. Korda is not on the roster for the inaugural season.

In South Korea's screen-golf scene, separate men's and women's leagues coexist alongside mixed events. Golfzon runs the men's G Tour and the women's WG Tour independently, while also hosting the G Tour Mixed, in which male and female professionals compete as individuals for a single title. However, the two groups tee off from different zones.

The debate surrounding TGL is expected to extend beyond the question of whether the women's league should operate independently, with another emerging issue being whether TGL itself should create opportunities for men and women to compete together.