The TGL League, hosted by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, already has a start date: January 9, 2023. With this and other details largely resolved, little is left in the early planning phase of the new circuit. Among the few remaining details are the names of two players.
The league will be played over 15 dates and will consist of six teams of three players each. Of the 18 members, 16 have already been publicly announced.
Fans have many candidates for the remaining two names. Some are calling for players like Michael Block or LPGA Tour stars. Others are considering LIV Golf players like Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson.
4 golfers who could fill the remaining 2 places in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's league
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TGL will air in primetime on ESPN or ESPN+. This show status could justify the inclusion of characters like Block or female stars. However, those spots will most likely be filled by current PGA Tour players, like the 16 already confirmed.
If that's the logic that applies, there are several names whose current absence from the league stands out. Let's see who they are.
#1 Scottie Scheffler
Scottie Scheffler is the top-ranked golfer in the world according to the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR). Scheffler is coming off a spectacular season from start to finish and his only real low point was the recently concluded Ryder Cup.
Scheffler played 23 tournaments without missing a cut, with two wins (including The Players Championship), two runner-up finishes and 14 top-10 finishes. He also had 19 consecutive top-12 finishes between November 2022 and July 2023.
#2 Viktor Hovland
The Norwegian is one of the most in-form players on the PGA Tour. The 2023 season was the final explosion of his quality, capped by an excellent Ryder Cup.
On the PGA Tour, Hovland played in 23 events in 2022-23. He did not miss any cut, won three tournaments (including the TOUR Championship) and finished in the top 10 six times. He is currently ranked fourth in the OWGR.
#3 Ludvig Aberg
Last season's rookie sensation has all the makings to be a part of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TGL league. In just four months as a pro, Aberg has climbed to 79th in the OWGR and is on the verge of star status.
The young Swede just made his Ryder Cup debut in a big way after posting a win and two top-10 finishes in three events on the DP World Tour. Prior to that, he played seven events on the PGA Tour (since June), with just one missed cut and four top-25 finishes.
#4 Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala is another young player who, by all indications, is going to give the golf world a lot to talk about in the future. Theegala just broke into the winner's circle on the PGA Tour (2023 Fortinet Championship) and into the top 30 in the world (29th).
In his third season as a professional, he showed maturity, missing only four cuts in 29 tournaments, while recording eight top-10 and 13 top-25 finishes. He is undoubtedly another youngster who could attract a lot of attention in the league organized by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Four of the six teams that will be part of the Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy sponsored TGL have already been named. They are Los Angeles Golf Club, TGL Boston, TGL Atlanta and TGL New York.
Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy themselves are already confirmed for the event. The other players are Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler, Collin Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Adam Scott, Billy Horschel, Tyrrell Hatton, Shane Lowry, Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Kim.