Xander Schauffele calls for TGL change – but it could cause problems

Xander Schauffele was on the wrong side of the season finale of the inaugural TGL season, but he’s already looking ahead.

The two-time major champion, whose New York Golf Club was beaten 2-0 by Atlanta Drive, has recommended the league make one change before it returns for season two.

And he doesn’t appear to be alone.

Speaking to The Palm Beach Post, Schauffele explained that he’d like TGL to have a shorter season or finish sooner. If possible, before the PLAYERS Championship.

“I’m sure a lot of fans and the producers and ESPN, everyone is going to have a little bit of input,” the 31-year-old said.

“I think just like us players sit down in our off season with our team, they’re going to sit down here and see how they can tweak everything, whether it’s shortening the season or having it end (sooner).

“I was talking to someone earlier about that; having it end sort of just before the PLAYERS, that would be something that we’d be up for.”

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With five regular season matches for each team and two weeks of play-off action, the TGL season lasted just 77 days.

The league made its long-awaited debuted on January 7 and wrapped up on Tuesday night at the SoFi Centre in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

Essentially, Schauffele hopes next year’s edition could finish two weeks earlier, as the 2026 PLAYERS Championship is scheduled for March 12-15.

However, that’s probably not what ESPN wants to hear.

Mike McCarley, the founder and CEO of TMRW Sports, said TGL and ESPN have begun talks over the 2026 schedule but it’s unclear how the dates will shift, if at all.

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“This is complementary to the existing PGA Tour,” McCarley said.

“You keep iterating on versions of the schedule. But the core premise is the same. You use football as a promotional platform, not a don’t compete with it, right?”

To finish sooner, TGL could get underway in December. But assuming a repeat schedule is used, the network would have to fit it around the NFL schedule, bowl games and ‘Monday Night Football’.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.