Late last week, Jon Rahm pulled out of his previous commitment to join TGL.

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. Best of luck to everyone envolved and may the best team win!

— Jon Rahm Rodriguez (@JonRahmpga) November 2, 2023

Of course, this led many golf begins to ramp up speculation (once again) that this may mean he’s heading to LIV Golf to join or co-captain with his good friend and fellow Spaniard, Sergio Garcia, on the Fireballs.

TGL issued a statement on Rahm’s departure.

TGL on Rahm: “Jon is one of the most talented players in the game and we will miss him 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”

— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) November 2, 2023

During his introductory press conference on Monday for Boston Common Golf, Rory McIlroy was asked about Rahm and whether or not his sudden departure from TGL was a sign he may be jumping to LIV.

“I spoke to Jon a couple of days ago and would be very, very surprised if that were to happen [move to LIV Golf]. I am pretty confident Jon is a PGA Tour player.”

More from the 19th Hole

On Monday, TGL announced that they’ve added “several competitive elements bringing fundamentals from other sports like a shot clock, timeouts, and a referee to the simulator golf league.”

TGL expanded on what each of these “competitive elements” will look like once the league begins in January.

Shot Clock – The shot clock will display a countdown of 40 seconds in which each player must hit their shot, or their team will receive a shot clock violation and incur a one-stroke penalty. The 40-second timeframe is based on a former USGA Local Rule and a current USGA Recommendation on pace of play.

Timeouts – Each team will have a total of four timeouts per match with two timeouts per each of the two sessions. Timeouts not used during the first session will not carry over to the second session. For the team that is playing their shot, timeouts may be called at any point until the shot clock expires. The opposing team may call a timeout until the other team’s player has addressed the ball.

Referee – A referee with experience with timeouts, shot clocks, and the dynamics of team sports will be on the course to administer TGL’s rules and unique situations. Additionally, a booth official, who is an expert in the rules of golf, will be monitoring the action. TGL’s rules will be rooted in the traditional rules of golf played on the PGA TOUR, as well as inherent local rules needed for the league’s unique competition format, technology, and venue.

In addition, TGL also shared the league’s unique match format and season points system.

Match Format

@TGL

Points System

@TGL

TGL also held an introductory press conference for their first full team, Boston Common Golf.

LIVE Boston Common Golf introductory press conference with Rory McIlroy, Adam Scott, Keegan Bradley, and Tyrrell Hatton: https://t.co/nIbsrPlMrw

— Boston Common Golf (@commongolf) November 6, 2023

More from the 19th Hole

Last week, the author of “LIV and Let Die”, Alan Shipnuck, reported that John Henry’s Fenway Sports Group was preparing to make a “monster bid” to replace the Saudi Private Investment Fund’s potential stake in the PGA Tour.

From talking to folks on Wall St. and in Silicon Valley who are close to the deal, the framework agreement is falling apart. Fenway Sports Group has put in a monster bid to usurp the PIF. It looks increasingly likely we go back to LIV vs. the Tour. https://t.co/jfAvBO4B9y

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) November 2, 2023

Now, Golfweek is reporting that there are five private equity companies vying to be a part of the deal for the PGA Tour.

Those companies include Fenway Sports Group, Liberty Strategic Capital, Acorn Growth Companies, Eldridge Industries, and lastly, a group of influential individuals being referred to as Friends of Golf.

The report indicates that those are the main parties interested, but that doesn’t mean smaller companies won’t go in on the deal with these groups to sweeten the offer.

It’s highly speculated that Fenway Sports Group is still the most attractive suitor given their success in other sports including the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins and Liverpool FC.

The deadline for the PGA Tour and the PIF to complete is December 31st.

More from the 19th Hole