Rory McIlroy Will Play in the TGL Playoffs but Another Co-Founder Won't

Despite battling back pain the last two weeks on the PGA Tour, Rory McIlroy will play for his TGL team while Tiger Woods will not as he continues recovering from surgery last fall.

Rory McIlroy will play in the TGL semifinals for his Boston Common Golf team. | GREG LOVETT/PALM BEACH POST / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The lineups are out for Tuesday night’s TGL semifinals and one co-founder of the tech-infused indoor golf league is giving it a go while another is continuing to stay on the sideline.

Rory McIlroy, despite two weeks of fighting back pain, will be teeing it up with his Boston Common Golf team (with Keegan Bradley and Adam Scott) in the second of two semifinals on ESPN, taking on Jupiter Links GC and Akshay Bhatia, Max Homa and Tom Kim at 9 p.m. ET.

That means Jupiter Links will compete without Tiger Woods, opting not to play while still recovering from a back procedure last fall. He said last month at his Genesis Invitational that his recovery was progressing but did not share a timetable for a return, though he also did not rule out playing in the Masters.

Woods has continued to attend TGL matches though, including last week when he was part of a wild celebration after a hole in one by Kim that helped put Jupiter Links into the playoffs

McIlroy finished T46 in his title defense at last week’s Players Championship but earlier in the week his appearance was in doubt after he had withdrawn after two rounds from the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Sunday afternoon at TPC Sawgrass he said he was unsure when he might play again and was noncommittal on TGL.

The winner of Boston Common/Jupiter Links will play March 23 for the title against the winner of Atlanta Drive GC and New York Golf Club, who are facing off in the first semifinal at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN. 

Atlanta Drive won the inaugural TGL championship last year over New York, and Patrick Cantlay, Chris Gotterup and Billy Horschel will play Tuesday night. Playing for New York will be Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and Sahith Theegala.

Not playing for New York in the semis are Cameron Young and Matt Fitzpatrick, the winner and runner-up at the Players Championship.