[ad_1]
Another sporting powerhouse has joined the ranks of ownership of the golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
The Fenway Sports Group, which is owned and operated by John Henry and Tom Werner, will be the second of teams to join the TGL, Major League Golf set to begin competition in January.
“We’re excited about this new ride,” Henry and Werner said in Monday’s announcement. “With this new, technology-focused version of the game, New England sports fans will soon have a team of world-class PGA Tour players to cheer this community on and redefine what it means to play the game in the modern era.”
The Fenway Sports Group owns several major sports franchises, including the Boston Red Sox baseball club, the Liverpool Football Club and the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. FSG is the second team announced by TGL. On June 8, it announced that Alexis Ohanian, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams, co-founders of Reddit, had become owners of Team Los Angeles.
“The team at FSG is uniquely positioned to help build an expanding community of golf fans and to embrace that audience is central to Team TGL’s mission in Boston,” said Mike McCarley, co-founder of TMRW Sports, which controls TGL.
The development of TGL comes at a pivotal time for the big money world of professional golf. Woods, McIlroy and McCarley founded TMRW Sports Group (pronounced “Tomorrow”) last year in partnership with the PGA Tour. At the time, it was seen as a response to the Saudi-backed LIV golf league, which was embroiled in a bitter legal battle with the PGA Tour.
But this month, the PGA Tour and LIV agreed to merge business interests to form a new company. McIlroy is one of LIV’s biggest critics, and Woods is said to be He refused a massive offer To join the funded Saudi League.
Rory McIlroy shakes hands with Tiger Woods on the 18th green after they completed a practice round prior to the 2023 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia, April 3, 2023.
Christian Petersen | Getty Images
TGL will now attempt to capture a new, younger demographic by using the latest technology in peak competitions that merge physical and virtual golf.
The league will have six teams, each consisting of three players on the PGA Tour, competing head-to-head in match play in Arena in Palm Beach, Florida. The university has yet to announce a broadcast deal as it is in ongoing negotiations. It is expected that this will be completed in the coming weeks, according to a source close to the matter.
The star power of Woods and McIlroy has helped attract a handful of big names, including Justin Thomas, John Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Adam Scott, Justin Rose, and Rickie Fowler.
TGL did not disclose how much money it raised. Yet it has attracted many famous athletes as investors, including basketball greats Shaquille O’Neal, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton; women’s soccer star Alex Morgan; and professional soccer players Tony Romo and Josh Allen. Many owners of professional sports teams have also invested.
[ad_2]
