Indoor TGL set to begin 2nd season. Tiger Woods will have to wait

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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.

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+.

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.

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 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.

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.

Scheduling can get tricky. Following the Jan. 2 match, Boston will not play again until Jan. 26, the Monday after McIlroy finishes his two weeks in Dubai as part of the European tour schedule.

Horschel said it might get even easier — and perhaps more appealing to players who want to be part of TGL — when the PGA Tour finishes the overhaul of its schedule.

“A lot of changes are coming in '27 and may make the scheduling a little bit easier and guys may want to jump on board who had declined," Horschel said.

Davis Love III was reminded last week about the time he was No. 1 on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list.

“For two weeks,” Love said.

This was in 2000, the season that was all about Tiger Woods, his three straight majors, nine PGA Tour titles and 17 finishes in the top five.

Greg Norman went into 2000 atop career earning ahead of Love, the late Payne Stewart, Nick Price and Woods. Love tied for 28th at the Bob Hope and tied for 18th in the Phoenix Open, moving him past Norman.

But the next week Woods, who won the season opener at Kapalua, won at Pebble Beach to go to No. 2 in career earnings. The following week, Woods was a 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 matter of who replaces 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 at $29.2 million in 2024.

Three years after joining Golf Channel for its live tournament and studio coverage, Johnson Wagner is moving to CBS Sports.

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 is going to a “super tower” with host Jim Nantz, lead analyst Trevor Immelman, and Frank Nobilo and Colt Knost.

Johnson became popular at Golf Channel primarily for his attempts at re-creating pivotal moments. He will be providing “original content” on CBS, which suggests those moments will continue.

“I look forward to not only contributing to Network coverage on the weekends and engaging with players at events throughout the season but also tapping into new ideas and opportunities to connect with golf fans across CBS Sports’ platforms,” Wagner said in a release.

LIV Golf has set the field for its promotions event on Jan. 8-11 at Black Diamond France in Florida, effectively the Q-school for the Saudi-funded league that is different from most tour's qualifying tournaments.

It's 72 holes, but only the top 20 and ties after one round advance to the second round to compete against players who received a pass out of the first round. That group includes the likes of 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 leading two players earn a spot on LIV.

Annika Sorenstam has managed to get what LIV Golf has yet to attain in three years — recognition by the world ranking.

The circumstances are totally different, of course. LIV Golf remains held up by having a vast majority of its players selected (most with contracts) for the 54-man league. Trevor Immelman, chair of the Official World Golf Ranking, said discussions with LIV are ongoing.

Sorenstam took over the Women's All Pro Tour in 2024, and the Rolex Women's World Golf Rankings this week announced it will be included in the ranking starting in 2026.

The tour provides a direct path to the developmental Epson Tour, with the top two finishers at each tournament getting exemptions into Epson Tour events and season leaders getting into the LPGA qualifying series.

The women's world ranking also announced a change to its methodology so that every player on the 13 tours will get ranking points if they make the cut. Previously, how many players received points depended on the strength of the field.

Former Women's British Open champion Georgia Hall has announced she is expecting a boy in early 2026. Hall says she plans to return to the LPGA in late June. Hall announced in July she is engaged to Paul Dunne, a former British Masters winner who in 2015 shared the 54-hole lead in the British Open at St. Andrews as an amateur. ... Marco Penge of England will end the year at No. 29 in the world and can already count on a big start to 2026. As the leading European tour player to earn a PGA Tour card, he already has secured spots in The Players Championship and the first two $20 million signature events. ... Dustin Johnson will be playing the Dubai Desert Classic in January, along with three other LIV players in Tyrrell Hatton, Tom McKibbin and Joaquin Nieman.

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.

“The Lord for some reason gave me a tremendous amount of talent, and I’m going to meet him pretty soon, and I damn sure don’t want him to be disappointed. Because you know why? If he’s disappointed, I’m probably going to have to caddie for Arnie.” — Lee Trevino.

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