Jon Rahm says the upcoming TGL arena is looking even better than he expected.
The Spaniard is one of several high-profile players committed to Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ tech-focused competition, which is due to begin next January, with events unfolding at a custom-built arena in Florida.
Before the BMW Championship, Rahm offered an insight into what the prime-time TV competition will be like, and said it looks even better than he imagined. He said: “I've seen a virtual reality little video of it. I haven't seen it in person. It's different to what I expected. I didn't realize how big it was going to be, which makes it a lot better.
“I'm looking forward to being able to start it. I don't know really what to expect with playing - I have a simulator in my home and it's a 14-foot screen TV and you're 12 feet from the screen, and from what I hear we're going to be 35 yards from the screen and the screen is going to be 60 feet wide and 40-some feet tall.
“I can't even picture how big it's going to be. It's going to be like that wall right there and taller, and we're going quite a bit away, and we're going to be playing from 50 yards into the pin. It's going to be a very, very unique circumstance, but I'm really looking forward to it.“
Details on exactly what the league will entail are slowly emerging, with confirmation that it will feature 18 players in six teams of three who will compete over 18 holes on a "data-rich, virtual course complete with a tech-infused, short-game complex”.
Meanwhile, the format will consist of a 15-match regular season, followed by playoffs and then a championship match. Along with Rahm, McIlroy and Woods, others committed to it include Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas.
Rahm is convinced the league will have all the ingredients to appeal to a new type of fan. He said: “You're appealing to maybe a little bit of a different audience with the time of day we're playing, the type of golf we're going to be playing.
“Like many sports nowadays, I think that is going to allow for probably a lot more live gambling, which is what a lot of people are trying to do nowadays when they're watching sports.
“I think we can appeal to a different audience, and I'm looking forward to that, as well. I've heard a lot of great reviews and thoughts from friends of mine looking into it before they knew I was invested in it and wanting to play. I think we have the opportunity to do something very special.”
‘I’ve Done A Pretty Good Job So Far’
Before that, Rahm, who also said he wishes golf had an off-season, continues his quest for a first FedEx Cup title this week. He is currently top of the FedEx Cup standings despite only finishing T37 in last week’s FedEx St. Jude Championship.
However, he explained he’s optimistic he’s on track for success in next week’s Tour Championship, particularly having won at the venue for this week’s tournament, Olympia Fields, three years ago.
He said: “Well, point of coming to the Playoffs is to give yourself the best chance to get to East Lake on the No.1 spot. I've done a pretty good job so far.
“Hopefully this week I can have a good performance like I did last time and earn it and clinch it and give myself the best shot for the win. It's been a great year so far, so hopefully I can end it off the way I started it.”
