OMEGA Steps Into Golf’s Fastest New Format as Official Timekeeper of TGL

by Brent Robillard

OMEGA moves to SoFi

Golf has never been short on tradition—but its future is increasingly being shaped by pace, broadcast, and technology. OMEGA’s newly announced role as Official Timekeeper of TGL places the Swiss watchmaker at the heart of golf’s most experimental format, where a 40-second shot clock governs every decision and every swing.

OMEGA has never been shy about standing at the crossroads of tradition and progress. From Olympic stadiums to deep-sea explorations—and, of course, to the wrists of golfers past and present—the Biel-based watchmaker has long understood that sport is as much about precision as it is about evolution. That sensibility feels especially well aligned with its new TGL partnership, the primetime, team-based golf league presented by SoFi.

Rory McIlroy, TGL Co-Founder and OMEGA Ambassador

Multi-year Partnership

As part of a multi-year partnership, OMEGA will sponsor TGL’s signature 40-second shot clock, a central feature of the league’s fast-paced format. The shot clock is more than a visual flourish; it is the mechanism that keeps matches moving, heightens pressure, and distinguishes TGL from traditional tournament golf. In short, it places time itself at the centre of competition—an apt stage for a brand whose identity has been shaped by precision timing for nearly two centuries.

Sunday, December 28

TGL’s second season begins on Sunday, December 28, airing on ABC in the U.S. and marking the league’s broadcast network debut. The season opens with a rematch of last year’s Finals between New York Golf Club and defending champions Atlanta Drive GC, a continuation of a format that has already found traction with a younger, primetime audience.

SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens hosts the TGL and now OMEGA timing clocks — SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens

Raynald Aeschlimann

“Golf is a strong part of OMEGA’s sporting DNA, and we’re excited to grow our support of the game alongside TGL,” said Raynald Aeschlimann, President and CEO of OMEGA. “The unique format very much appeals to our pioneering spirit, and we love how the competition emphasizes our brand values of team dynamics, precision, power, time and technology.”

Gary Wyndham (The Bay Golf Club) and OMEGA Ambassador

Reinvention

That emphasis on pace and spectacle inevitably invites comparisons—both affectionate and ironic—to the way golf has been portrayed in popular culture. Earlier this year, Happy Gilmore 2 leaned into that same tension, pitting the fictional, entertainment-driven Maxi Gold Tour against the more buttoned-up traditions of the PGA. The joke, of course, wasn’t that one side was right and the other wrong, but that golf has always been capable of accommodating both reverence and reinvention.

TGL, in many ways, exists in that same space. Created by TMRW Sports and co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, the league features six teams of top PGA TOUR players competing in a season-long format designed specifically for broadcast and in-venue engagement. Matches are staged at the purpose-built SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida—a tech-infused arena where OMEGA clocks will now be a visible part of the experience.

A Stage for OMEGA Ambassadors

OMEGA’s presence will extend beyond the shot clock itself, encompassing digital and social content integrations as well as in-venue branding. Two OMEGA ambassadors—Rory McIlroy (Boston Common Golf) and Wyndham Clark (The Bay Golf Club)—are also among TGL’s rosters, further tightening the link between the brand and the league.

For OMEGA, whose history includes serving as Official Timekeeper of the Olympic Games since 1932, this partnership is less a departure than a continuation. It reflects a willingness to engage with new formats and audiences while applying the same principles of accuracy and reliability that underpin its Master Chronometer-certified watches.

If Happy Gilmore taught us anything—twice over now—it’s that golf doesn’t stand still. By stepping into TGL as Official Timekeeper, OMEGA signals that it understands this truth instinctively. The game evolves. The formats change. And the brands that endure are the ones that know how to keep time with the times.