Tony Finau has an idea for TGL’s future that resembles America’s Manifest Destiny in the mid-19th century.
Tony Finau sparks TGL idea that new league should implement in the future
Tony Finau addressed his TGL future and in doing so, came up with an idea that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods should consider.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Head west.
“I think a lot of us guys on the West Coast would entertain it if they moved the SoFi Center west,” Finau said Tuesday ahead of this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open.
“It would be a lot easier for me. It’s no secret I travel with my family and my kids. They’re very important to me, so being with them as often as possible is a priority for me and that’s only possible I think if they moved the SoFi Center out west.”
Finau, who resides in Levi, Utah, filled in for Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose last month at a TGL match at the SoFi Center, which is located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
After helping Los Angeles Golf Club emerge victorious, Finau said, “It was so much fun,” and that he “Didn’t expect it to be this big and kind of grand.”
However, trekking across the country takes a toll, which explains why Finau has only participated in one match to date. Many other TGL participants have had to criss-cross the continent too. Look no further than what happened after the Genesis Invitational in San Diego: Ludvig Åberg, and a host of others, jumped on a red-eye after their final rounds at Torrey Pines and flew east to Florida for TGL matches the next day.
Perhaps we could solve this logistical issue.
What if TMRW Sports, TGL’s ownership group founded in part by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, constructed a second SoFi Center on the West Coast? With billionaire backers and impressive television ratings in year one, TGL has the capital to do so.
Perhaps it could be in Scottsdale, Arizona, where many professionals, such as Wyndham Clark, Max Homa, and Joel Dahmen, call home. Or maybe a second SoFi Center goes up in Las Vegas, where dozens of PGA Tour players reside.
With two SoFi Centers, TGL could host matches on both coasts and have an early match on the East and a late-night match out West — not dissimilar to what the NBA and the NHL do throughout their regular seasons.
It would also ease logistical concerns during the West Coast Swing at the beginning of the year. A western SoFi Center could host matches amid the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, WM Phoenix Open, or Genesis Invitational, thus mitigating air travel and expanding options for more players who reside in the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones. Those players who live in Florida are already out west at that time of year anyway, so adding a venue in Arizona, Nevada, or California would cut down on their travel too.
Finau would possibly join TGL if this option became available.
“I can’t say with assurity that I would entertain it if it was still in West Palm,” Finau added.
“But I did enjoy my time for the one week that I was there.”
For the most part, golf’s newest venture has been well-received by all. But it would be even more popular amongst the players if they expanded west and opened a second SoFi Center. It would delight the fans and create an exponential number of options too.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
