TGL just kicked off on a very positive note! Fans got to see what is possible at Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy‘s arena at the SoFi Center as they enjoyed watching their favorites stars in action. The pros involved also seemed to have a good time as there were smiles all around on the indoor simulation course. However, after a successful launch, the league has already announced a major temporary change for the second match.

The round between Jupiter Links GC & and Los Angeles GC will be played between only 3 players on each side. This will be much different from the 4v4 contest that we witnessed in the 1st match. It will be interesting to see how the format adapts to the limited field. The official X handle of TGL announced both sides a few hours ago as Tiger Woods, Kevin Kisner, and Max Homa from the Jupiter Links GC will go up against Justin Rose, Collin Morikawa, and Sahith Theegala of the Los Angeles Golf Club. Tom Kim and Tommy Fleetwood will be benched for the next round.

However, that was not the topic of discussion for Max Homa as he reshared the tweet. He added, “Collectively, we all look really weird here,” on his post, indicating that the 3v3 lineup looks kind of awkward compared to the 4v4 announcement from earlier this week. He is not wrong, as it does look a lot different from what fans were expecting to see. Hopefully, Woods & McIlroy will make sure this doesn’t happen again in the future.

But why did Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy make this change in the 2nd match after the successful 1st round of TGL? Let’s take a look at why it happened.

Why did Tiger Woods bench Kim & Fleetwood?

At first glance, everyone must be surprised to see that the 2nd match of TGL is a 3v3 contest. But after taking a deeper dive into why Tommy Fleetwood is not a part of the matchday team, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. No, he has not suffered an injury or been disqualified from TGL. The English professional golfer is committed to participating in this weekend’s Dubai Desert Classic. He, TGL co-owner and pro; Rory McIlroy, and other European golfers will be busy at the Emirates Golf Club – Majlis Course as they will be playing in the first big event of the 2025 season of the DP World Tour.

However, Tom Kim’s absence from the squad still surprised a lot of people. There are no official statements for the reason as to why Kim was benched. Kim, who has come off an incredible 2024 season where despite not claiming a victory, he finished close to the top of the leaderboard a couple of times. He was the runner-up at the 2024 Travelers Championship and in 2 other unofficial events; the Hero World Challenge and the Grant Thornton Invitational. Interestingly, during both of his individual runner-up finishes, he was beaten by the world no. 1, Scottie Scheffler. Overall, Tom Kim is the highest-ranked golfer on the OWGR leaderboard in the Jupiter Links Golf Club. Hence, the 828th ranked player; Kevin Kisner getting picked over him was a big surprise for the fans.

With two vital golfers winning from their respective teams, who do you think will win the battle between Jupiter Links Golf Club & Los Angeles GC? Share your views in the comments section.