BILLY Horschel recalls a certain buzz about the tech-infused indoor TMRW Golf League when it began last year, and there was plenty of curiosity where it would fit into the golf landscape.
The six teams remain largely in tact, though Jupiter Links will not have Tiger Woods right away as he recovers from back surgery. He has said he would miss the first part of the season. Detroit will have a franchise that starts in 2027, and there is movement for another team, perhaps to get Scottie Scheffler involved.
Curiosity has given way to a degree of optimism and a little growth when the second season of TGL begins Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC and ESPN+.
Tiger Woods AFP FILE PHOTO
The graphics have been upgraded. Spectators in the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, will have ear buds to listen to play banter more easily. Golf course architects — Jack Nicklaus, Gil Hanse and Beau Welling among them — are designing holes. And each team will have a signature hole that reflects their city.
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It starts with a rematch of the TGL final last year when Atlanta Drive beat New York in a couple of one-point matches that produced some drama. Horschel is part of Atlanta Drive that will not have Justin Thomas, who is recovering from back injury. And yes, he’s 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 of it can sort of wear on you a little bit, not that the fire to compete has dwindled,” Horschel said.
“So when you can do something that relights that fire and have that sort of kid-like energy … and that’s what I had, that kid-like energy in this entire TGL (season) because it was something different and something we were all experiencing for the first time.”
The matches are typically Monday and Tuesday night, though it starts this Sunday (Dec. 28) and the next match involving Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common will be Friday, Jan. 2.
