The biggest question surrounding the 2027 TGL season is the same question that has dominated the last three decades of professional golf: What will Tiger Woods do?
But regardless of Woods’ presence — whether he appears as a captain, player or a combination of the two — the league’s most promising trend comes in the players it signed in the offseason.
A couple of pros opted out before the third season (more on that in a minute) but the league added a seventh team and officially expanded the rosters to five pros per team. The big sign here is that TGL has acquired from many of the biggest names on Tour; let’s go through what’s new. But first…
WHO IS STRONG
Let’s start with the players left: Xander Schauffele seems to be spending more time on the West Coast, away from the friendly confines of the SoFi Center. It is a loss for the league; TGL benefited greatly from Schauffele’s sense of mischief, as did the rest of the relatively reserved roster (Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler) at the New York Golf Club.
Adam Scott he lives far from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and it was already hard to do the logistical work in seasons 1 and 2; no shock to see him bow out before season 3.
And Kevin Kisner and Lucas Glover were not renewed by their respective teams; so far we’ve only heard from Kisner on the subject. He said his two-year contract was up – and teased Woods’ game plans:
WHO IS IN
Many of the players below filled in as alternates last year, but for the sake of simplicity, we will have them as the rookie class of 2027, which consists of 14 professionals that we will divide into three categories:
The major champion
Brooks Koepka (Motor City GC)
Koepka is in a category of his own; he headlines the Motor City Golf Club expansion team and headlines this free agent class because he has five major championships while the rest combine for one.
(Related: A notable statistic floating around at the moment is that by the time next year’s Masters begins, there will be zero 20-somethings with a major title.)
While Koepka’s quotes on TGL weren’t completely rah-rah (“it’s something to do,” he said, as part of a longer quote) his presence sends a strong message – as does his suggestion that the league could provide a competitive advantage.
The trending 30-somethings
Ryan Fox (The Bay)
Woo Kim (Motor City)
Jake Knapp (Motor City)
Bud Cauley (Motor City)
Keith Mitchell (Jupiter Links)
Ben Griffin (New York GC)
These six are a combination of trending and trendy; they are popular players, fun and generally in good shape. Fox won a major championship this year, Kim played at his best, Knapp was off to a hot start before his year was derailed by injury, Cauley cemented an incredible comeback story, Mitchell is a favorite among players and fans and Griffin is still a top-30 player in the world.
The young stars
Chris Gotterup (Atlanta Drive)
Alex Fitzpatrick (New York GC)
Jackson Koivun (Motor City)
Michael Brennan (Atlanta Drive)
Michael Thorbjornsen (Boston Common)
Blades Brown (The Bay)
Ben James (LAGC)
There was a three-week stretch at the end of the PGA Tour’s regular season where three consecutive tournaments were won by Americans 25 and younger. It was Jackson Koivun at the 3M Open, Michael Thorbjornsen at the Rocket Classic and Michael Brennan at the Wyndham Championship.
Now they are all on TGL.
The reigning No. 1 on the University PGA Tour has gotten his professional career off to a red start, including three top-five finishes in his last four events; now ben james is on tgl too.
The most dramatic PGA Tour rookie story belongs to Alex Fitzpatrick, who earned his card with his brother Matt at the Zurich Classic; He is now a TGL rookie as well, and will play alongside Matt for New York.
The best teenager in the world became the youngest pro to earn a PGA Tour card via the Korn Ferry Tour; Now Blades Brown also plays TGL.
And no one has won more than three times on the PGA Tour in 2026, which means that Chris Gotterup (No. 6 in the world and winner of the Sony Open, WM Phoenix Open and John Deere Classic) was a no-brainer for Atlanta to close.
I’m not saying you have to love TGL. I’m not saying you have to watch TGL. I’m just saying that the signature of these professionals signals something important for the future of the league: that in the winter week in 2027, in the world of golf, the SoFi Center is still the place to be. The Tour’s young stars see enough benefit that they sign up. The league is still in trial mode heading into its third season, but his season ensures that this won’t just be a Tiger Woods show.
The rosters are very deep behind him.
The league his season begins December 27, while WTGL debuts in November. Full listings are below.
Atlanta Drive
Players: Justin Thomas, Billy Horschel, Patrick Cantlay, Chris Gotterup, Michael Brennan
The Bay Golf Club
Players: Wyndham Clark, Min Woo Lee, Ludvig Aberg, Blades Brown and Ryan Fox
Boston Common Golf
Players: Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry, Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama, Michael Thorbjornsen
Jupiter Links Golf Club
The players: Tiger Woods, Tom Kim, Max Homa, Akshay Bhatia, Keith Mitchell
Los Angeles Golf Club
The players: Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Ben James
Motor City Golf Club
The players: Brooks Koepka, Jackson Koivun, Si Woo Kim, Jake Knapp, Bud Cauley
New York Golf Club
Players: Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Cameron Young, Ben Griffin, Alex Fitzpatrick
