After the first day of the Players Championship, fans took notice of a certain pattern that was developing among the Tour pros. Top names who are on both the TGL and the PGA have had back injuries, and fairly recently, too. These injuries range in severity from a sprain to needing medical attention. Due to this, there has been some theorizing among the fans to the point where the pros are hearing about it. Now, pros like Rory McIlroy have started sharing their own two cents on the TGL theories floating around.
The Recent Injuries
There have been two major injuries that sparked this theorizing. The first was Rory McIlroy during the Arnold Palmer. He threw out his back, and there were questions about whether he would even be able to play in the Players Championship. The second example is Collin Morikawa, just last Thursday, as the Players was just getting started. They were not the only ones to experience back injuries recently, but they were the most recent. Other examples include Sahith Theegala, Billy Horschel, and Justin Thomas, all of whom have had injuries in just the past year.
The fans’ reasoning on why this is happening is due to another competitive layer in the TGL. The high-tech nature of the league means that players like McIlroy can see their ball speed instantly, creating an incentive to swing harder and faster to get that number higher. This would leave the players at a higher risk of twisting and straining their backs in order to get that high speed.
McIlroy And Others Weigh In
The speed theory has made its way to the ears of the pros in question. Rory McIlroy was asked about it in an interview with the Palm Beach Post. He was asked if the ball speed theory held any water.
“To put it solely on that is preposterous. No.” McIlroy goes on to say, “My ball speed on Tour is way faster than it is in TGL.”
McIlroy, purely looking at the numbers, doesn’t see any credence to the theory. The same theorizing got to Billy Horschel, and he felt the need to respond to it on his Twitter account.
“Please stop! TGL had nothing to do with my injury. And I would suspect nothing to do with the other guys.”
In the comments, Horschel clarifies that his theory on why there are so many back injuries is that it’s just an occupational hazard.
Injuries Will Continue
When it comes to the PGA or any sports league, injuries are a common occurrence. It would be easier to name all the players who haven’t had any injuries related to the sport. In 2025 alone, there was already a rash of injuries and health issues across the board. The same is true for years past. There is a theory from commentators like Brandel Chamblee that it has more to do with how modern swings work. As interesting a theory as it was, players like McIlroy don’t see a connection between the TGL and their back injuries.
Main Photo Credit: © Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
