Robert TheodorsonMotor City Golf Club will officially join Tomorrow’s Golf League as the seventh franchise later this season in what is set to be an action-packed third season for the highly successful tech golf league.
On Wednesday, TGL announced that former ex LIV Golf star and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka will be the first official member of the expansion team when the league returns to action in 2027.
Researching the original six teams over the past couple of months has left me to conclude that there are distinct commonalities between most, but not all teams.
From examining each individual roster, we can tell that like the league itself, these rosters weren’t just thrown together overnight.
I’ve identified at least four types of players that appear on almost every squad in the league: The Headliner, The Young Guy Due for a Major, The Old Head, and The Potential.
During Season 2, TGL made quick and effective use of a fourth type of player I like to call Next Man Up. The Next Man Up is a semi-permanent type of golfer who appears on the roster will little or no previous notice, but sticks just outside what would be considered one of the four ‘permanent’ roster spots.
For example, Chris Gotterup was Next Man Up for the then-reigning Atlanta Drive and made a huge impact on the organization. Rocket Classic winner Michael Thorbjornsen did the same with the league’s oldest squad in Boston Common.
With Brooks Koepka being the first official announcement for Motor City Golf Club, we take a look at who else on the PGA Tour can round out the rest of the roster.
The Headliner: Brooks Koepka
Part of Koepka’s return to the PGA Tour was in part due to LIV’s rigorous travel schedule which included the league bouncing from continent to continent without much rhyme or reason.
It’s common knowledge that Koepka, who went to Florida State and resides in Jupiter, is a huge fan of his hometown state. Living alongside several PGAT and would-be TGL colleagues, Koepka is the natural choice to be the headliner for the new Detroit squad.
The five-time major winner is the first ex-LIV member to join a TGL franchise, and in doing so will likely result in a seamless transition back into the world of team golf.
The Young Guy Due for a Major: Ryan Gerard
Anyone under 30 years old is young, and I won’t hear otherwise.
Other than the fact that Gerard is a Top 50 golfer in the world according to the OWGR, Gerard also has the Jupiter connection like Brooks Koepka.
Gerard has been playing some of the best golf in his career, posting his highest finishes in the major championship circuit within the past two years including a T9 at The Open at Royal Birkdale.
While the individual trophies haven’t come as quickly as he would probably like, Gerard is a great fit based on skill and locality.
The Old Head: Gary Woodland
TGL has a number of stars who won a major championship some time ago, and while they remain elite athletes, their window to win the next one is more or less closed. Adam Scott, Lucas Glover, Shane Lowry, to name a few fit this mold.
Never say never though as Ryan Fox just recently taught us that guys who are in or approaching their 40’s can still get it done.
At 42 years old, Woodland would be one of the older members of TGL, but is still beloved by his fans. Not only does Woodland call Florida his home, but his Delray Beach estate is just a short drive from the SoFi Center.
The Potential: Jackson Koivun
Koivun won his first PGA Tour event earlier this season at the 3M Open, beating Scottie Scheffler by a margin of three strokes.
The 21-year-old is only one season removed from playing college golf at Auburn University and has ties to the South and Florida, as he currently makes Palm Beach Gardens his home.
Already a winner and brimming with potential, Koivun is a no-brainer to make the Motor City GC roster. Even if we don’t see him on TGL next season, rest assured that Koivun’s status on the league is a matter of when, not if.
Next Man Up: Blades Brown
Nineteen-year-old Blades Brown, the much-talked-about golfing prodigy, would be an ideal catch for TGL and would be money as a mid-season substitute.
Brown’s likely path to TGL would be similar to Shipley and Clanton’s, a substitute/alternate path that would allow him to appear in at least one, maybe two, matches for the 2027 season.
As Koepka looks to get back into the swing of things with a heavier workload in 2027, and with Gerard and Woodland being in fantastic form throughout the season, it’s likely that at least three of the potential teammates will have schedule conflicts or overburdened calendars, making way for Brown or someone like him to take the stage.
