Billy Horschel remembers some excitement about the indoor, tech-infused TMRW Golf League when it debuted last year, and there was a lot of curiosity about its place in the golf landscape.
Curiosity has given way to some optimism and a little growth when TGL’s second season premieres Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+.
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The graphics have been improved. Spectators at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, will have headphones to make it easier to hear the jokes. Golf course architects, including Jack Nicklaus, Gil Hanse and Beau Welling, designed holes. And each team will have a signature hole that reflects their city.
It starts with a rematch of last year’s TGL final, when Atlanta Drive beat New York in a couple of one-point games that produced drama. Horschel is part of an Atlanta Drive that won’t have Justin Thomas, who is recovering from a back injury. And yes, he is excited.
“I’ve been on the PGA Tour for 16 years, and I think anyone who’s been on tour for a while, the monotonous grind can kind of wear you out a little bit, even though the heat of competition has died down,” Horschel said.
“So when you can do something that lights that fire again and have that kind of kid energy…and that’s what I had, that kid energy during that whole TGL (season) because it was something different and something we were all experiencing for the first time.”
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All six teams remain largely intact, although Jupiter Links won’t have Tiger Woods right away as he recovers from back surgery. He announced that he would miss the first part of the season. Detroit will have a franchise that begins in 2027, and there is movement for another team, perhaps to involve Scottie Scheffler.
Matches usually take place on Monday and Tuesday evenings, although they start this Sunday (December 28) and the next match involving Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common is on Friday, January 2.
Planning can get tricky. After the Jan. 2 game, Boston won’t play again until Jan. 26, the Monday after McIlroy finishes his two weeks in Dubai as part of his European tour.
Horschel said it could become even easier – and perhaps more attractive to players who want to be part of the TGL – when the PGA Tour finishes revamping its schedule.
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“A lot of changes are coming in 2027 that might make the schedule a little easier and guys might want to come on board who had declined,” Horschel said.
Brief moment at the top
Davis Love III recalled last week the days when he was No. 1 on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list.
“For two weeks,” Love said.
It was 2000, the season that was all about Tiger Woods, his three consecutive majors, nine PGA Tour titles and 17 top-five finishes.
Greg Norman entered 2000 at the peak of his career ahead of Love, the late Payne Stewart, Nick Price and Woods. Love is tied for 28th at Bob Hope and 18th at the Phoenix Open, moving him past Norman.
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But the following week, Woods, who won the season opener at Kapalua, won at Pebble Beach to rank second in career earnings. The following week, Woods was runner-up at Torrey Pines to replace Love at No. 1. By the end of the year, Woods had a lead of nearly $6 million.
He’s been there ever since.
Now it’s a question of who will replace Woods after more than a quarter of a century. Woods is just over $13 million ahead of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler is $21 million behind.
Scheffler earned $27.6 million this year and $29.2 million in 2024.
A look at Johnson Wagner
Three years after joining Golf Channel for its live and in-studio tournament coverage, Johnson Wagner is joining CBS Sports.
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The network said Wagner will join its broadcast team as an on-course reporter, starting with the Farmers Insurance Classic at Torrey Pines next month. Another change for CBS involves a “super tower” with host Jim Nantz, lead analyst Trevor Immelman, as well as Frank Nobilo and Colt Knost.
Johnson became popular on Golf Channel primarily for his attempts to recreate pivotal moments. It will provide “original content” on CBS, which suggests these moments will continue.
“I look forward to not only contributing to the network’s weekend coverage and interacting with players at events throughout the season, but also leveraging new ideas and opportunities to connect with golf fans across CBS Sports platforms,” Wagner said in a statement.
LIV Q-School
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LIV Golf has set the stage for its January 8-11 promotional event at Black Diamond France in Florida, effectively the Saudi-funded league’s Q-School that is different from most qualifying tournaments on the tour.
It’s 72 holes, but only the top 20 and ties after one round advance to the second round to play players who received a pass in the first round. This group includes Anthony Kim, who was relegated out of LIV, and Matt Jones, who finished in the top 48 for LIV but is not under contract with any team.
Scores are reset after the first round and after the second round. The top 20 and ties advance to a 36-hole conclusion. The first two players earn a place on LIV.
Annika’s tour
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Annika Sorenstam managed to achieve what LIV Golf has not yet achieved in three years: recognition in the world rankings.
The circumstances are of course completely different. LIV Golf remains retained by having a large majority of its players selected (most with contracts) for the 54-man league. Trevor Immelman, president of the Official World Golf Ranking, said discussions with LIV were ongoing.
Sorenstam returned to the Women’s All Pro Tour in 2024, and the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings announced this week that she will be included in the rankings starting in 2026.
The tour provides a direct path to Epson Tour development, with the top two finishers in each tournament receiving byes into Epson Tour events and the season leaders entering the LPGA Qualifying Series.
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The women’s world rankings also announced a change in their methodology so that every player on the 13 circuits will earn ranking points if they qualify. Previously, the number of players receiving points depended on the strength of the field.
Divots
Georgia Hall, a former women’s British Open champion, has announced she is expecting a boy in early 2026. Hall says she plans to return to the LPGA at the end of June. Hall announced in July that she was engaged to Paul Dunne, a former British Masters winner who in 2015 shared the 54-hole lead at the British Open at St. Andrews as an amateur. … Englishman Marco Penge will finish the year ranked 29th in the world and can already count on a good start to 2026. As the main European Tour player to earn a PGA Tour card, he has already secured spots in the Players Championship and the first two $20 million signature events. … Dustin Johnson will play at the Dubai Desert Classic in January, along with three other LIV players, Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin and Joaquin Nieman.
Statistic of the week
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Four of the 80 professionals already eligible for Masters invitations have yet to win on one of the six main tours in the Official World Golf Ranking: Max Greyserman, Johnny Keefer, Sam Stevens and Jacob Bridgeman.
Last word
“The Lord, for some reason, has given me a tremendous amount of talent, and I’m going to meet him very soon, and I certainly don’t want him to be disappointed. Because you know why? If he’s disappointed, I’m probably going to have to replace Arnie.” — Lee Trevino.
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
