One of the first players on the PGA Tour to sign up for Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s league, TGL, was Jon Rahm; however, the Spaniard decided to withdraw from the arrangement earlier this week.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, two other prominent players on the PGA Tour, are suffering greatly from Jon Rahm’s announcement on Thursday that he had left their cutting-edge golf league, TGL.
Since the league’s founding last summer, Woods and McIlroy have revealed a wide range of players who will be participating. Twenty-four players committed to TGL’s playing roster by October, with the two founders also involved, in time for the official launch in January.
With just two months to go, Woods and McIlroy are now scratching round for a late replacement following Rahm’s decision to walk away from the simulator golf setup. From the world No. 1 to one of the sport’s hottest, rising talents, here is a look at five names who could replace the Spaniard.
Scottie Scheffler
Top player in the world Scottie Scheffler is arguably the most well-known name not associated with the TGL setup. Scheffler was one of just three players in the world’s top 10 who had not been involved with the start-up league after the 24-man roster was confirmed, prior to Rahm’s departure.
Logistically, many were not surprised by Scheffler’s exclusion because TGL is headquartered in Palm Beach, which is far from his Texas home and would make weekly commutes nearly impossible. But since there’s only one spot left, it wouldn’t be shocking if Woods and McIlroy tried one last time to sign the greatest golfer in the world.
Ludvig Aberg
Ludvig Aberg, the hottest prospect in golf, comes in second place. Aberg has dominated the sport since going professional in June, making waves on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour. Three months after deciding to turn pro, this led to the Swede receiving a call-up to the European Ryder Cup squad.
And he proved it once more last month at Marco Simone, where he helped the Europeans defeat their American rivals 16.5-11.5. It should come as no surprise that Aberg is expected to have a bright future and would be a wise addition to the team that includes Woods and McIlroy.
Viktor Hovland
Aberg is not the first Scandinavian to take the world of golf by storm in recent years, having followed in the footsteps of Viktor Hovland. There are not many better players on the planet than Hovland right now, who continues to go from strength-to-strength, winning the season-long race for the FedEx Cup earlier this year.
The Norwegian is undoubtedly a name the TGL chiefs would love to add to their roster, but like Scheffler there is one logistical nightmare. Hovland currently resides in Oklahoma, and this is most likely the key reason the European star opted not to sign for the stadium-based league in the first place.
Brian Harman
The TGL roster is littered with major champions, and they could well add the latest in Brian Harman. The American star has been a PGA Tour mainstay for some time, and his consistency was finally rewarded earlier this summer when he won the Open Championship i n tough conditions at Royal Liverpool.
Unsurprisingly the Open champion’s profile has sky-rocketed since his impressive performance on the North West links, and proved enough to earn him a Ryder Cup debut in Rome. Having the Champion Golfer of The Year in your ranks would prove a shrewd move by two fellow Open winners in Woods and McIlroy.
Jordan Spieth
Jordan Spieth, one of the most well-liked players on the circuit, did not sign up for the TGL, which is comprised of the PGA Tour’s main players. The American has long been one of the most well-known golfers, and he was undoubtedly among the top candidates for Woods and McIlroy to hire.
Once more, though, the problem of traveling nonstop for nearly four months would have been a major contributing factor to Spieth’s decision to forego signing a contract. He lives in Oklahoma, far from TGL’s base in Florida, just like Hovland, the Ryder Cup rival.
Leave a Reply