Why are Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland not playing in Tiger Woods’ TGL? Real reason explored

The opening day of the TGL Golf League is fast approaching and the latest information has piqued the interest of fans. The spotlight has been on the players who have been confirmed for the league set up by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, as well as those who have not.

Fans immediately noticed that current top players were not being considered for the TGL, or at least not on the confirmed list. The cases of Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland stand out, but Jordan Spieth can also be mentioned.

Scheffler is the current top-ranked golfer in the world, with an outstanding 2022-23 season. Hovland experienced the final explosion of his quality this year and finished as the FedEx Cup champion. Spieth is a solid player with a history of success despite his youth. He is currently ranked 13th in the world.

With such a track record, many fans are wondering why these players were not considered by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy for the inaugural season of the TGL Golf League.

The truth is that the reasons have not been officially clarified, but many media outlets such as NUCLR GOLF and Golf Magic speak of it being a matter of distance. Both Scheffler and Spieth live in Texas, while Hovland lives in Oklahoma.

Is the place where the players reside an issue for TGL?

Undeniably, this is an issue that cannot be ruled out. Of the 24 players confirmed for the 2024 TGL Golf League, 12 are permanent residents of Florida, the state where the matches will be played. Another (Kevin Kisner) lives in South Carolina, "only" about 500 miles away.

Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy (Image via Getty).

It is clear, however, that the issue is not the same for all players. As far as we know, Tom Kim and Sahith Theegala, who are confirmed for the new league, live in Texas, while Jon Rahm, Max Homa and Wyndham Clark live in Arizona, more than 2,000 miles from Florida.

But they are not the ones who have to travel the most. Again, as far as is publicly known, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele reside in Las Vegas, while Justin Rose, Adam Scott and Tommy Fleetwood reside outside the United States altogether.

The conclusion is that the distance between the player's home and the location of the new league can create a conflict for a particular player's participation. However, there may be other factors of equal or greater weight that have simply not been publicly informed.

Following is the complete list of the TGL League roster:

• Tiger Woods
• Rory McIlroy
• Jon Rahm
• Justin Thomas
• Rickie Fowler
• Collin Morikawa
• Matt Fitzpatrick
• Justin Rose
• Xander Schauffele
• Max Homa
• Adam Scott
• Billy Horschel
• Tyrrell Hatton
• Tommy Fleetwood
• Shane Lowry
• Tom Kim
• Keegan Bradley
• Sahith Theegala
• Cameron Young
• Min Woo Lee
• Patrick Cantlay
• Lucas Glover
• Kevin Kisner
• Wyndham Clark