A wave of high-profile withdrawals has hit the PGA Tour. First, Rory McIlroy pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational due to a back spasm. A week later, Collin Morikawa withdrew from The PLAYERS Championship. Some analysts have found one common thread connecting these withdrawals: Tiger Woods’s TGL. But Billy Horschel jumped in to push back against the alleged misinformation.

“Please stop! TGL had nothing to do with my injury. And I would suspect nothing to do with the other guys,” Horschel replied to Monday Q Info’s X post that suggested playing in TGL resulted in back injuries for these pros.

“Another TGL player goes down…….” Monday Q Info, a reputed social media outlet managed by journalist Ryan French, tweeted in the wake of Morikawa’s withdrawal. In a following tweet, he listed down the names of players: Sahith Theegala, Billy Horschel, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy, and Collin Morikawa.

Horschel, who plays for Atlanta Drive GC, had a lengthy injury spell after winning the inaugural season of TGL. Rory McIlroy of Boston Common Golf withdrew from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026 because of lower back spasms. Morikawa, of the Los Angeles Golf Club, injured himself while taking a practice swing on the 11th hole, which was only his second of the day.

French’s argument was that frequent travel is a likely reason for these injuries. On March 1, Tom Kim traveled from Palm Beach, where he played the final round of the Cognizant Classic, to the SoFi Center in Florida to play the TGL Match. Kim is not suffering from any injury at this point, but French wondered if this extra travel is taking a toll on the other players.

However, the eight-time PGA Tour winner flatly denied the claim, suggesting it had little to do with other players’ injuries.

“Injuries happen in sport. I’m not battling an injury,” Billy Horschel fired back, dismantling any connection between TGL and players’ injuries.

The back-and-forth went on. Ryan French quizzed Horschel on the matter again. Citing a quote from Max Homa, French questioned if golfers are battling injuries because of swinging harder. Homa previously said that since TGL is played on a simulator, and pros need to swing harder. Billy Horschel once again disagreed with the insinuation.

“No, I don’t. Extra swings. Not a chance. We make maybe 10-12 swings in a match.”

The argument against TGL is not new. To avoid a clash, Tiger Woods’s league deliberately scheduled matches on weekdays. However, there have been instances where players traveled from Hawaii to Florida in a private jet arranged by the league itself to participate in the matches.

Playing in two different tournaments without ample rest can take a toll on any golfer’s body. In fact, both Morikawa and McIlroy have played almost all the matches for their respective TGL teams. Horschel has previously spoken on the matter as well, explaining the league is working to be more in sync with the Tour’s schedule.

So it was not a surprise that the eight-time PGA Tour winner, who has gone viral a number of times for his TGL performance, didn’t entertain any links between players’ injuries and TGL. However, in Horschel’s defense, there is no concrete proof that the extra travel is affecting players’ health. Sahith Theegala, Justin Thomas, and Rory McIlroy are still playing in The Players Championship. They haven’t spoken on the matter, and when they did talk about their injuries, no one shifted the blame to a hectic schedule.

Justin Thomas underwent back surgery in November 2025. He missed the start of the 2026 PGA Tour season. After several months of recovery, JT started with a TGL match against Boston Common Golf. He then debuted at the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the 2026 PGA Tour campaign.

Sahith Theegala’s case is different. The American professional sustained an oblique tear during a TGL match in March 2025. This resulted in neck issues and multiple withdrawals, including from the 2025 PGA Championship. Billy Horschel, on the other hand, has struggled to regain his form after the hip surgery.

“Let’s just say the hip didn’t feel really good this morning. It was tired, it was sore, it hurt a little bit,” he revealed after the Arnold Palmer Invitational 2026.

Interestingly, Billy Horschel’s response on social media was not the only time he stepped in to quash false narratives. Earlier this season, the Atlanta Drive golfer also weighed in on the debate surrounding poor course conditions.

Billy Horschel defends the PGA Tour over poor Cognizant Classic course condition

Fans and players criticized the overseeding of Palm Beach National with ryegrass as it created a soft, slow “lush green carpet” that favors low scores. This even diminished the Bear Trap’s difficulty, which had once made it difficult for golfers to reach a double-under-par score.

Coming to the defense, Horschel said that it is not the PGA Tour’s fault.

“Unfortunately, not the Tour’s fault. Owners of PGA National do it. Tour has tried to state why it shouldn’t be overseeded, but at the end of the day, it’s out of their hands,” Horschel replied to an X post.

The 8-time PGA Tour winner also advocated that the PGA Tour should have complete control over golf courses going forward.

Notably, many golfers who played at the Cognizant Classic 2026 commented on the course’s condition. Daniel Berger, who hit a bogey-free 63 opening round in 2023, said that “Clearly, the course was not the old Bear Trap that we’re used to.” His comment came as someone else, despite his round of 63, hit an even lower score of 59.

Joel Dahmen and Michael Kim also lamented the lost difficulty. Horschel’s comments during the Cognizant Classic debate show a consistent pattern of pushing back when he believes the criticism directed by fans is misplaced. That same approach was evident in his recent defense of TGL. He dismissed speculation linking the league to the wave of injuries surrounding the 2026 Players Championship.