Plans for the start of the TGL in January are falling into place following news on the format and teams for the made-for-TV contest.
However, even though the 24-player roster was also confirmed in October, the venture was dealt a hefty blow when, earlier this month, one of its highest-profile players, Jon Rahm, pulled out of the debut season.
At the time, the Spaniard released a statement announcing the move and explaining: “It would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer” and he has now reiterated that reason for deciding not to participate.
Rahm is in Dubai preparing to compete in the DP World Tour Championship, where he is hoping to successfully defend his title and claim the trophy for the fourth time. Before his focus turned to the action at the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, though, he addressed his decision to withdraw from the upcoming contest co-founded by Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods.
He began: “I don't know if I can be more clear than the statement I put out. It's just a time commitment I can't really commit to right now, right.”
The TGL will include 15 regular-season events, followed by the semi-finals and final. Meanwhile, each of the two-hour sessions will take place at a purpose-built stadium in Florida, with the first two events confirmed for Tuesday nights in January.
Rahm and his family live in Scottsdale, Arizona, over 2,000 miles west of the stadium, and the 29-year-old cited the burden of the extra travel as a consideration in his decision.
He continued: “It's quite a bit of extra hours of flight, quite a bit of extra time of being away from home. And at the same time of having just redone a lot of my deals, got to think of my sponsors, as well. So it would have been a bit more of a commitment than I expected at first.”
There is no doubt that Rahm will be focused on building on what has been a stellar 2023. When he won The Masters in April, it was already his fourth win of the year and while he hasn’t added to that total, his form has remained excellent, with four more top-10 finishes including a T2 at The Open.
He admitted the prospect of committing to the TGL was simply too much to take on with the prospect of another big year ahead of him. He said: “That's basically it. It's just too much for what I think I should be doing.”
It’s not just the TGL that Rahm has ruled himself out of. He has also explained there is “absolutely no chance” of him replacing McIlroy on the PGA Tour board following the four-time Major winner’s resignation from it.
He said: "Oh, you won't see me there. Absolutely no chance. I've been asked a couple times if I have any interest, and I'm not going to spend, I don't know how many meetings they have, but they are six, seven, hour plus long. I'm not here for that."
Black Friday is approaching, so be sure to check out the Black Friday golf deals as selected by our experts.
