It is time to once again enter the most high-tech arena found on the campus of a former community college in southeast Florida. TGL, the Tiger Woods-Rory McIlroy-backed golf venture, is entering its second season, looking to build off the momentum it gained in its debut campaign.
I spent a lot of time and energy writing about Season 1, and I do think that, while there were a lot of bugs that needed to be worked out with time, the venture itself can be a success for golf.
There are changes coming in new holes designed by Gil Hanse, the introduction of specific holes designed around the teams and their cities, and a new green complex will hopefully bring improvements to some of the monotony that we got a lot of last season.
Some of the league is always going to be ridiculous (I might actually lose my mind if they do a full banner ceremony for Atlanta at the season opener), but I hope the league succeeds.
I wish there were more player movement in the offseason like all other team sports, but I'm guessing these players have contracts locked in for these first two seasons before expansion comes for the league and more guys figure out how to work it into their schedules (especially if this revamped PGA Tour schedule actually comes true).
Nevertheless, I have ranked the teams going into the sophomore season, focusing on which teams have the strongest top two and then moving on to three and four from there.
6. Jupiter Links GC
This is a team with only two full-time professional golfers. Will we actually see Tiger Woods play this season? That's very much up in the air, given his comments at the Hero. There's definitely a non-zero chance that Charlie Woods ends up playing a match for Jupiter Links this season, so we have that to look forward to.
Kevin Kisner, on the other hand, showed us last year what spending the majority of your time in the booth will do to your game. I'm expecting no real value coming from these two this year.
The top two players on the team, Max Homa and Tom Kim, are both coming off of years that can best be described as nightmarish. Both fell outside the top 100 in the OWGR and are looking to work their way back to being truly competitive on the PGA Tour again. This team flat-out stinks, and if they make the playoffs, a miracle will have occurred.
5. Boston Common Golf
Look, entering Season 2 still looking for the first win in franchise history is not an ideal spot to be in. We learned coming out of last season that we need to temper our expectations for this team, and maybe watching the Ballfrogs this season won't make me feel the same way I do when I listen to Noah Kahan, who was, in fact, my top artist on my Spotify Wrapped this year (the New England roots run strong around here).
Rory McIlroy is still the best golfer in the entire league, but one man does not make an effective team. Hideki Matsuyama kind of came out of nowhere to win the Hero, but I don't know if that win is really going to be the kickstart of a strong 2026 (case in point: Hideki last year after winning in Hawaii).
Keegan Bradley seems due for a regression this year after a strong 2025, and his game never really fit the SoFi Center to begin with, so don't expect a lot from him.
Finally, Adam Scott may be able to catch fire after qualifying for The Open in Australia, but I won't bank on it. I'm used to John Henry-backed teams disappointing me in the winter months, so Boston Common missing the playoffs again wouldn't surprise me.
4. The Bay Golf Club
The Bay was my sleeper pick throughout last season, and while they weren't able to get it done last year, I still like them for this season, just a bit less. Ludvig Aberg is still primed to lead this team as their No. 1 guy, and while he was in the wilderness a little bit this season, he has returned to his more expected strokes gained levels, and I think 2026 will be a strong year for the Swede.
The issue with The Bay is I'm not sure who their No. 2 guy really is. In theory, it should be Min Woo Lee, but he just isn't consistent enough with his high level of play to reliably fill that role.
Shane Lowry definitely served as the No. 2 last year, but I didn't really love what I saw from him in the ending stretch of 2025. He's going to be a key pivot point this season for The Bay; if Lowry can perform, the team will be strong.
Wyndham Clark is coming off a terrible 2025, both from a play perspective and a PR perspective (take your pick of stupid Wyndham moments this year). We may end up looking back at his U.S. Open win as a strange anomaly in history, so I'm not buying any Wyndham Clark stock for 2026.
3. Atlanta Drive GC
I'm surprised I have the reigning champs this low, too, but I don't love where the depth pieces of this team currently stand.
Justin Thomas showed us true signs of life in 2025, finally finding the winner's circle again and reentering the top 10 in the world. His energy is perfect for the SoFi Center, and I wouldn't be surprised by JT repeating his performance this season.
Lucas Glover once again holds the belt of "most out-of-place TGL player" and honestly shouldn't see any playing time this year. Patrick Cantlay somehow almost won the FedEx Cup last year, so possibly reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.
A singular man deserves his own paragraph, and Billy Horschel is truly singular. His devotion to TGL, the commitment to the high energy, the ability to step up when his team needs him, I'm serious when I say Billy Horschel deserves a statue in the SoFi Center. He is the exact type of guy you want to be in the foxhole with, and the PGA should just let him captain the 2027 Ryder Cup team. All in on Billy Ho.
2. Los Angeles Golf Club
LAGC is looking to bounce back from a disappointing postseason, getting upset as the No. 1 seed by New York. I probably should have Atlanta ranked above LA, but I just have more faith in LA's top guy. Tommy Fleetwood finally broke through by winning the Tour Championship, and I think in 2026, you'll see the floodgates fully open for the Brit, and that strong play will come through in TGL play.
As has been well established, I think Collin Morikawa should've been left off the Ryder Cup team based on his play last year. I will say that Morikawa usually plays well early in the season, which lines up perfectly for the TGL season.
Justin Rose is like the diet-soda version of Billy Horschel, as he absolutely loves the arena and seems energized by TGL play, so he is always someone to watch. Sahith Theegala is coming off a horrible year on Tour, but a solid year in TGL, so maybe he's just built to be a dome golfer.
1. New York Golf Club
My preseason favorite this year is last year's runner-up. New York got off to a bad start last year, but summoned the grit to make a Cinderella-type run to the finals last year.
The big thing to watch is getting a full season out of Xander Schauffele, since we didn't see him for the bulk of the season. But once he came back, New York looked like a different animal. With his win at the Baycurrent, I think Schauffele is back and will return to form in 2026.
Cameron Young was the breakout star of the American Ryder Cup squad, and I don't see why this momentum he's carrying won't continue.
Matt Fitzpatrick found his skill again through the second half of 2025 and seems ready to reassert himself in the top 10 of the world this year.
I mean this with respect; Rickie Fowler should have forgone his salary for this season so that Steve Cohen could've kept one of Edwin Diaz or Pete Alonso this offseason, because that would be how Fowler would be most helpful to this team this year. Overall, I think the strongest trio in the league belongs to New York, and they should not be slept on this season.