Three months ahead of its January launch, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s virtual golf league TGL is already starting to look like a top-tier American sports property.
This week, TGL announced the ownership group for its fifth of six planned franchises. Former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is partnering with Stephen Curry to head up the team, TGL San Francisco, with additional investment from fellow Golden State Warriors star Klay Thompson.
Meanwhile, Fanatics has been brought on to run TGL’s league and team e-commerce operations, putting the golf league on par with other top American competitions working with the $31 billion mega-company.
ESPN will serve as TGL’s media rights partner, giving the league a mainstream broadcast outlet.
The other ownership groups for TGL include Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, Boston Red Sox parent company Fenway Sports Group, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, and Serena Williams and her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. Other minority team owners include Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, USWNT star Alex Morgan, and golf star Michelle Wie West.
Professional golfers committed to play in TGL’s first season include seven of the current top 10 players in the world, along with Woods, McIlroy, and other stars like Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas, and Rickie Fowler. One more team ownership group will be announced in the coming weeks.
