Rahm bows out ✌️

Hey there! Hope you all had a nice week. We’ll check-in with the PGA Tour event (and how our picks are doing) in a bit. But first, let’s dive into some shaky news for the new TGL golf league.

Rahm bows out

For weeks, the Tiger and Rory-backed virtual golf league TGL has been releasing incremental, positive news ahead of its anticipated January debut. 

It signed several of the PGA Tour’s top stars, announced (almost) all of its new teams and franchise owners, and released details about its cutting-edge simulator technology. (The 3,800 square-foot putting surface that can move depending on the hole does sound pretty cool.) 

But on Thursday, the TGL ran into its first real snag — Jon Rahm, the third ranked golfer in the world, bowed out. 

His main concern? Time. 

“While I still think it’s a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer,” said Rahm, who was among the first players last November to pledge his name to the upstart league.

Nick’s thoughts: We’ve all been there before — overextending ourselves and going back on previous commitments. Still, I think the Rahm news should be a bit alarming for the TGL (and its main partner, the PGA Tour) for a few reasons: 

1. It’s still very TBD whether watching guys hit shots into a screen will be compelling for viewers at home — even if they’re pros and even if they’re hitting into screens 20x larger than the average golf simulator. What does make for good TV are big, likable personalities — like, a John Rahm. 

Of the 24 man TGL roster, Rahm was definitely among the players who — even if the format is a total flop — could keep things interesting by just being mic’d up for two hours. 

The league still has Tiger and Rory and JT, who will hopefully keep it lively on camera and maybe, just maybe, talk some smack out there. But if they add another Kevin Kisner or Lucas Glover-type, it’s probably not going to add much to the viewing experience. 

I’m keeping an eye on Scottie Scheffler, Viktor Hovland, and Jordan Spieth — some of the biggest names not already involved. The TGL is almost certainly targeting them for its final roster spot and it’ll be interesting to see if one of them bites. 

2. Some said part of Rahm’s decision boiled down to the added travel — since he lives in Arizona and the TGL events will take place in South Florida. But, I’d argue, no matter where players live, the time commitment factor might become an issue. 

The league hasn’t yet released its full schedule, but we do know that play starts on January 9th and includes 15 matches (plus more matches for the playoffs). A TGL spokesperson told me that it’s possible there may be more than one match per week. But how many can you fit into a two-hour time slot?

If the TGL lingers into late March or early April, that’s creeping into Masters territory. And suddenly, a fun, Monday-night golf league could become a major distraction (pun intended) for some of the world’s top players.

Of course, guys will be getting paid to play in the TGL, so ultimately it’ll come down to whether the added time, possible distractions, etc. are worth the money. 

3. The knee-jerk reaction Thursday was to assume no TGL meant Rahm was moving to LIV. There’s connections between him and Phil Mickelson (both went to Arizona State and are represented by the same sports agency). And, there’s his ties with fellow Spaniard, Sergio Garcia. 

But, there’s no real evidence to support the Rahm-to-LIV theory. And, he’s said in recent months that he’s uninterested in making the move. 

Still, the PGA Tour would probably like to see its top stars involved in the TGL as some sort of extra insurance that they won’t jump ship. 

WWT check-in

Midway through the WWT Championship, four-time PGA Tour winner Camilo Villegas leads at -16 after a pair of 64’s on Thursday and Friday. 

Forty-five-year-old  Matt Kuchar is two-strokes back at -14, while Stephan Jaeger and Justin Suh both finished their second rounds in Cabo at -13. 

Here’s a quick look at how the Quick Nine pick ‘em is playing out: 

1. Will Ludvig Aberg beat Cam Young? TBD, but looking good.

Aberg shot 65 on Friday and is currently at -11 (T9). 

Meanwhile, Cam Young hit a perfect 14/14 fairways and 18/18 greens on Thursday en route to a 7-under 65. Friday didn’t go so smoothly, however, and after a 2-over 74, Young is currently right on the -5 cut line (T62). 

2. Will Sahith Theegala finish within the Top 10? No. 

The cut isn’t officially set (since there’s one, lone group that didn’t finish on Friday), but Theegala (-3, T86) almost certainly won’t play this weekend. It’s a disappointing event for one of the favorites this week. 

3. Will Lucas Glover finish within the Top 20? Toss up. 

Poor Lucas Glover continues to make questionable apparel choices in warm weather and has sweated his way to a -8 (T27) position through two rounds. 

4. Will 17-year-old Billy Davis make the cut? No.

Davis came out firing on Thursday, shooting 4-under on the front before stumbling a bit on the back. Ultimately, the high school senior’s 2-under 71-71 wasn’t enough to make the cut, but he had a legit shot AND he beat out some 20+ pros along the way. 

Also, I loved this from Davis’ dad. And, it’s some good advice for us all.

5. Will Michael Block make the cut? No. 

Blockie finished +4 and tied for dead last place. Somehow, he got to hang out with Jack though.

6. Will Beau Hossler beat Keith Mitchell? Toss up.  

The battle of the big visors is neck and neck. Hossler is at -6 (T46) and Mitchell is at -5 (T62). 

Tie breaker: In which place will Chris Gotterup finish?

This looks pretty set at T75, as Gotterup sits at -4 and likely won’t make the weekend. 

Thanks so much to everyone who’s playing along this week. I hope it’s been fun to follow along! I’ll announce the winner in Sunday’s newsletter. 🏆

What else I’m reading: 

⛳️ Golf Magazine officially released its top 100 course ranking for 2023-24. (Golf) 

🐯 Golf Digest’s Luke Kerr-Dineen explores Tiger’s claim that he doesn’t take divots when he’s swinging his best. (Golf Digest) 

🧘 No Laying Up’s Kevin Van Valkenburg writes about the meditative (and somewhat sacred act) of playing golf alone. (NLU)

Alright. Have a wonderful weekend y’all and talk soon. - Nick B.