Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover join Justin Thomas on Atlanta Drive GC in the first season of TGL, the new Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-backed simulator golf league; watch the DP World Tour Championship live on Sky Sports Golf, Thursday from 7am
Tuesday 14 November 2023 07:52, UK
Patrick Cantlay, Billy Horschel and Lucas Glover are teaming up with Justin Thomas for Atlanta Drive Golf Club in the first season of TGL, the new Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-backed simulator golf league coming in 2024.
The Drive are the second of six teams to unveil their complete four-man roster for 2024. Boston Common consist of TGL co-founder McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Tyrrell Hatton and Adam Scott.
The Atlanta team is owned by Arthur Blank, who also owns NFL franchise the Atlanta Falcons. The other four teams will represent Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Jupiter, Florida, who Woods will represent as well as co-own.
Thomas was the first player to be assigned to a TGL team, joining Atlanta last month. And though Cantlay, the No 5 player in the world, is from California, the other three Drive members have connections to the Southern US. Thomas is from Kentucky, Horschel hails from Florida and Glover is a South Carolina native.
The Drive feature a two-time major champion in Thomas and the 2021 FedEx Cup champion in Cantlay. Horschel has won seven times on the PGA Tour and Glover has won on six occasions, including in back-to-back weeks late in the 2022-23 regular season.
Cantlay and Thomas were both part of the defeated USA Ryder Cup team at the Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome last month, with the former reported to be at the centre of a rift in the team.
Cantlay denied the reports and went on to score two points out of a possible four for the US, including winning a fiery clash against Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick on the Saturday evening which spilled over into the car park as McIlroy raged over the behaviour of Cantlay's caddie Joe LaCava on the 18th green.
Woods has taken a swipe at LIV Golf after being announced as player and co-owner for the final team in the upcoming TGL golf league.
Woods has now been confirmed as not only the first of four players for the Jupiter Links Golf Club but also as owner, alongside David Blitzer, the co-managing partner of NBA's Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL's New Jersey Devils.
The 47-old believes the new venture will be easier to follow than the Saudi-backed LIV, saying: "Some of the stuff I've seen in LIV... I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. Here it's very simple."
Woods, who lives in Jupiter, Florida, said in a statement: "Through its use of technology, TGL is a modern twist of traditional golf and ultimately will make the sport I love more accessible.
"Having the opportunity to not only compete, but also own a team to represent Jupiter is an exciting next chapter for me. I expect Jupiter Links GC to showcase the golf culture of my hometown as we compete against the best players in the world."
He added: "Generally, golf takes about five or six hours to play. In today's world, with all of our smartphones, it is hard for anybody to go five to six hours without looking at their phones. So the shorter the time, the better it is."
TGL events will be held in Florida, at the SoFiCenter within the campus of Palm Beach State College, as players compete over 15 holes.
TGL combines an oversized simulator with actual shots to a tech-infused green that can change contours depending on the shot, with the league designed to take golf to a new audience.
The six squads will play each other once in league play with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals, while the season will culminate with a best-of-three final.
Woods' Jupiter team-mates have not yet been confirmed but Boston and Atlanta have already announced their full roster, while Collin Morikawa will represents Los Angeles.
Jon Rahm was set to play in the inaugural tournament but has since withdrawn.
