‘Unreal’ – Billy Horschel Takes First Look At TGL Stadium

The eight-time PGA Tour winner, who will play for Atlanta Drive GC in the TGL, was impressed with what he saw of the playing area in the purpose-built SoFi Center

Billy Horschel at the TGL arena
Billy Horschel was impressed by what he saw of the TGL arena
(Image credit: TGL)
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Billy Horschel has given his reaction to the purpose-built arena that will host the tech-infused TGL, which begins in January.

The eight-time PGA Tour winner will line up for Atlanta Drive GC in the made-for-TV league, which will feature six teams and 15 regular-season matchups between January and March, before the season-ending semifinals and finals.

The action will take place at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, with players using a 64 feet by 46 feet simulator as well as three virtual greens and 3,800 square feet of putting space.

Horschel was given a glimpse of what he can expect – and it’s safe to say he liked what he saw. Footage of his first impressions of the set-up has been posted on social media by the official TGL account.

After he strides out into the arena, Horschel, wearing a big smile, says: "Holy smokes! This is unreal, I mean, this is unreal! That screen!"

The TGL, which is being launched by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Sports, will finally get started a year after it was originally intended. That plan was shelved after the roof of the arena was damaged due to a power failure when the air-supported dome partially deflated and sustained tears.

While that meant players and fans alike have been made to wait for their chance to experience a contest that promises something unique in the golf world, judging by the tantalizing glimpse of the arena – and Horschel’s reaction to it – it will be worth it.

As for Horchel's team, which includes Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Lucas Glover, it won't get its first taste of TGL action until two weeks after the first matchup. Atlanta Drive GC will take on Xander Schauffele's New York Golf Club on 21 January, with coverage live on ESPN from 7pm ET.

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Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.