One of TGL’s cornerstone players will not be a part of the league’s first season, officials announced on Thursday.
Jon Rahm was among the first players to join TGL, which will include early-week, made-for-television matches between six four-player teams starting in January, but the two-time major champion was removed from the league’s social media posts and website earlier this week.
“We will miss [Rahm] during the inaugural TGL season. We understand that players have to balance a lot of different facets of their professional and personal lives and respect Jon’s choice and wish him well,” a TGL statement read.
Rahm confirmed the news on X (formerly Twitter): “I am sad to confirm that I will not be participating in the first TGL season. While I still think it’s a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer.”
While both Rahm and TGL suggested the decision had more to do with the time commitment required to compete in the league, which will hold its matches in a custom-built arena in South Florida, some on social media speculated the news could be a precursor to the Spaniard joining LIV Golf.
Phil Mickelson, who is represented by the same player management firm as Rahm, said at last month’s LIV Golf finale that he expects more PGA Tour players to join LIV Golf regardless of what comes from the ongoing negotiations between the Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
“There’s a lot of players that see [LIV Golf’s success] and want to be a part of it. The question is how many spots are available? There’s a lot more players that want to come than there are spots,” Mickelson said at Doral.
Rahm has been an outspoken supporter of the PGA Tour in its ongoing turf battle with LIV Golf but he did argue that players who joined the new circuit, specifically Sergio Garcia, should be allowed to play for Team Europe at this year’s Ryder Cup.
TGL announced its first team Thursday of Rory McIlroy, Keegan Bradley, Adam Scott and Tyrrell Hatton. The league said it plans to name a replacement player for Rahm soon.