It’s golf, Jim, but not as we know it.
The inaugural edition of Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL) in 2025 was generally considered to be a roaring success by the players, broadcasters and stakeholders, so expectation has been raised ahead of the 2026 campaign, which technically gets underway in late December this year.
The defending champions will be Atlanta Drive, who defeated New York Golf Club in the 2025 final. So will Patrick Cantlay and co be able to defend their trophy in the next series?
The Numbers Game
The inaugural edition of TGL was considered a success.
It generated more than 123 million social media impressions – a key metric in this day and age, while some games saw more than one million viewers tune in on TV or via the live stream.
As well as ESPN as broadcasting partner, a number of other household names came on board, including SoFi, Best Buy and Genesis. Big bookmaking brands provided TGL sports betting odds for each match and the outright tournament winner, which afforded punters the chance to bet on their favourite players.
So the commercial aspect was a success, while viewers also responded favourably to the idea of a shot clock – each player had 40 seconds from the moment they place their ball to then hit their shot.
All of which led to entire matches being completed inside two hours; in an era of pace of play debates, the TGL was a refreshing watch for an audience that might not have enough of an interest in the sport to sit through six or seven-hour rounds.
The 2026 edition will kick off on December 28 with a repeat of the previous final, so Atlanta Drive – Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel and co – will take on the New York Golf Club outfit led by Xander Schauffele and recent DP World Tour Championship winner Matt Fitzpatrick.
Back to It?
A key figure for Atlanta in their title win was Justin Thomas.
There are, however, question marks over his participation in the 2026 edition, after Thomas revealed he had undergone back surgery in November.
The world number eight confirmed on social media that he planned to ‘miss some events to start the year’ as he begins his rehabilitation, which presumably puts his place in the TGL on hold – the event kicks in properly in January and February, before reaching its conclusion in March.
Thomas missed one of the games in the inaugural edition due to injury and was replaced by Nick Dunlap, although at the time of writing it’s not known if a replacement will be named for the matches in the 2026 TGL that he seems likely to miss.
Although unconfirmed, it’s thought that Rory McIlroy and Keegan Bradley will lead Boston Common once more, although Tiger Woods’ involvement is seemingly up in the air after he too underwent back surgery in October.
Other players that are expected to be involved in TGL 2026 include Tommy Fleetwood, Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose and Shane Lowry.
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