Robert TheodorsonJupiter is desperate for a win – without Tiger Woods can a new TGL golfer give them a boost?
Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links is a team comprised of several question marks going into their season opener. Without the services of their de facto captain and league co-founder for the time being, Jupiter will lean heavily on the veteran leadership of Kevin Kisner and TGL’s newest signee, Akshay Bhatia.
Bhatia has the potential to be one of TGL’s most exciting players. The 23-year-old has plenty of potential with everything pointing towards the youngster having a long and successful career.
Jupiter is going to need Bhatia to come right out of the gate and kill it at the SoFi Center. Statistically one of the worst teams in 2025, Jupiter’s roster ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every major category. In terms of total points scored, every member of Jupiter ranked near the bottom of the league.
Coming off a tough loss to the dominant Atlanta Drive, New York is looking for a rebound match, and Jupiter is likely the perfect club to achieve that feat against.
Rickie Fowler, who was T2 in total points last season, tied with Cam Young, returns to TGL and looks to pick up where he left off.
We haven’t seen too much of Fowler after a 32nd-place finish at The BMW Championship, so rust may play a factor.
Team Lineups and Featured Holes
Jupiter Links
- Akshay Bhatia
- Max Homa
- Kevin Kisner
New York Golf Club
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Cam Young
- Rickie Fowler
In what figures to be a long road to recovery, Tiger Woods signed Akshay Bhatia to replace the former for what will likely be the majority of Jupiter’s matches this season.
Other than Bhatia, the good news for Jupiter is that Max Homa has literally nowhere to go but up. Dead last in the league in total points scored among regular players (Tony Finau had 2 points in one match for Los Angeles), Homa’s 25th-place finish with 3 points set an extremely low bar for the former Ryder Cup player. Homa simply needs to be adequate this season for Jupiter to have a chance against anyone.
Rickie Fowler will replace Xander Schauffele for New York. Fowler will tee it up at The American Express in a few weeks to kick off the 2026 season of the PGA Tour, but looks to dominate TGL once again before he gets there.
New Team-Specific Unique Holes
- The Jup Life (Jupiter Links); Par 5; 601 Yards; Hole 4
Jupiter Links’ 600+ yard home hole is about what you would expect to see at a PGA Tour tournament in Florida. Taking inspiration from Harbour Town’s famous 18th hole, the island green is adjacent Jupiter’s lighthouse. The inlet, palm trees, and sailboats give Jupiter’s signature hole an authentic South Florida feel.
Projected Top Performers
Jupiter
Season 1 was a complete disaster for everyone on Jupiter statistically speaking. Kevin Kisner was the team leader in total points scored (T19; 7 points). For reference, Billy Horschel has 9 total points scored already this season through two matches.
For this reason, we go with the complete unknown in Akshay Bhatia because there is seemingly no way that Bhatia can be outperformed by his teammates. Bhatia’s signing has the potential to be a franchise-changing moment for Jupiter, otherwise it is going to be a very long season for Tiger Woods’ club.
New York
Matt Fitzpatrick quickly went from being an afterthought to New York’s best player in the season opener against Atlanta. Fitzpatrick used the momentum from his late 2025 international success and parlayed it into something special under the lights of the SoFi Center.
Rickie Fowler was one of the top producers in TGL last season. Fans are hopeful that Fowler can pick up where he left off in 2025, but right now Fitzpatrick looks like the man who is going to rack up points for New York.
Final Predictions
New York Golf Club still fields one of the strongest TGL rosters with two of last season’s top individual performers in Rickie Fowler and Cam Young. Matt Fitzpatrick has rediscovered his game and figures to be a force on TGL this season.
Though outmatched and outskilled, the signing of Bhatia provides excitement and hope to Jupiter and PGA Tour fans alike. The youngster could provide Jupiter that much-needed spark they’ve needed since league inception!
