TGL is already in trouble! The futuristic golf league has faced its fair share of criticism over the past few weeks. But they have managed to impress the crowd with every match. Tiger Woods & Rory McIlroy‘s league is very successful on paper. It’s bringing in the numbers, high TV ratings, and also receiving a lot of love. But everyone involved understands that there’s still a lot of room for improvement. However, injuries can still trouble a league like TGL. And New York GC was cursed with it after their first match.

Xander Schauffele‘s enigmatic presence won over the crowd in the inaugural match of TGl. But that was the last time fans saw him in the arena. Schauffele announced that he is seriously injured and will be unavailable for a while. So Cameron Young, Rickie Fowler, and Matt Fitzpatrick bore the load of a missing teammate in every game since. However, they have still managed to play well enough to make it to the top 4 of the league so far. But the New York GC might be in trouble if any one of the remaining three gets injured. However, they can follow suit with LAGC to overcome the challenge.

The Los Angeles GC are going through their own issues with absent players. Tommy Fleetwood and Justin Rose have other commitments that they need to fulfill during their next match. Hence, they won’t be able to participate in the TGL event on February 24, 2025. On that note, part owner of the Los Angeles GC, Alexis Ohanian had shared a cryptic message a few hours ago hinting at a big announcement coming up. It featured an extreme close-up of a player wearing a LAGC hat in black and white.

The post received many comments from the fans and some also believed that the club was going to trade in Xander Schauffele for the remainder of the schedule. This reignited the rumors of his return from injury and a possible shift to a different team. Fans were left wanting as the Ohanian had stated everything would be revealed by 9:30 AM EST. And that time has arrived. As everyone expected, the LAGC announced a temporary hire to join Sahith Theegala and Collin Morikawa in the arena next week. However, it is not the golfer fans were hoping for.

As tweeted by NUCLR GOLF, “🚨🏌️‍♂️⛳️ #JUST IN: Tony Finau has signed a one-match contract with TGL and LAGC. He plays on Monday, Feb 24th. @FinauLegion”. Yes, Finau will be stepping up for action at the SoFi Center arena on February 24. That debunks any rumors of Xander Schauffele making a comeback. Coming back to Tony Finau, he has signed with TGL only for one match. However, this will set the stage for him to return for season 2.

Tiger Woods & Co. would have expected fans to react positively to the situation. However, the comments tell us that they were far from pleased with the announcement.

Tiger Woods’s critical decision comes under the spotlight

“What a joke”, a fan said shocked by the choice of TGL. With a golden opportunity like this, everyone might be expecting the likes of Scottie Scheffler to join in for one match. Having Tony Finau instead just doesn’t make it that exciting for the fans.

To further signify the missed opportunity, someone stated, “Let me just say the quiet part out loud. Fans want to see @brysondech on TGL”. A team of Bryson DeChambeau, Collin Morikawa, and Sahith Theegala would be thrilling to watch for every golf fan. And having DeChambeau playing in the arena would help market his eventual return to the PGA Tour once the merger is complete.

Another fan bluntly questioned, “Who the hell is Tony Finau?”. Despite being an excellent player, Finau is not as famous as some of his peers. And this fan experienced just that as the PGA Tour pro doesn’t add enough value to the brand of TGL.

Someone also suggested, “Holy pay to win @nygolfclub sign Scottie”. New York would definitely do better with another player in their team. And if world no. 2 can’t make it, then he can definitely be replaced by world no. 1. Scottie Scheffler also has the star power to draw in bigger crowds. A win-win situation for TGL and NYGC, even if LAGC doesn’t completely agree with it.

Scheffler is not the only popular choice for the fans as there was a comment stating “Please get @JordanSpieth on TGL 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼”. He does fall into the same level of popularity as the world no. 1. However, considering Jordan Spieth‘s recent statement about why he can’t play TGL, it would be hard to imagine him making the trip to the arena, even if he is not in a PGA Tour event.

What is your opinion about TGL signing Tony Finau for one match? Let us know in the comments section.