The innovative golf league, TGL, set to debut in January, is a creation of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. It boasts an impressive array of star power that extends beyond the playing squads.
The indoor, tech-infused league has enlisted 24 of the PGA Tour's top stars. However, some of the biggest names involved in this new venture are not from the world of golf.
TGL has attracted a host of household names who have invested in the league and its six clubs. These range from tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams to NFL stars past and present such as Josh Allen, Tony Romo and Larry Fitzgerald.
NBA superstars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, along with their ex-Golden State Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala, are co-owners of The Bay Golf Club. They share ownership with private equity billionaire Marc Lasry and his Avenue Sports Fund.
Both Curry and Thompson are avid golf fans. Last year, they teamed up for a Netflix-streamed match against Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Curry, a scratch golfer, has a very deep interest in the game. He founded and champions Underrated Golf, which provides opportunities for children from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue their dreams in golf.
Wyndham Clark, the 2023 US Open champion and member of The Bay's lineup featuring Shane Lowry, Min Woo Lee, and Ludvig Aberg, expressed sheer enthusiasm about the link-up: "I think we have the coolest owners, that's for sure," he told the Mirror US.
"Steph loves golf, and so does Klay. Steph's obviously a great golfer. I'm friends with Steph. And then having the Avenue Sports Group behind it as well, it's really neat to be part of that.
"And the cool thing is there's going to be some really cool crossover things that we're going to do where we'll go to basketball games and watch Steph play. And Steph will come and watch us play at TGL. So there's some fun stuff that we're going to do and some great collaborations that I think just makes it even more exciting and fun.
"It's always great when you get other sports collaborating together because it just shows how fun it is to be a professional golfer and that we all enjoy this game of golf. And it's awesome that guys like Steph and Klay are really taking that to another level by sponsoring and endorsing a team for TGL."
TGL is an innovative project by TMRW Sports, co-owned by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Mike McCarley. Excitement is building as the league is set to make its debut on January 7, with live coverage on ESPN.
On Monday and Tuesday nights in primetime, the innovative 15-hole matches will be played at the custom-designed SoFi Center arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, which boasts a capacity of 1,500. Players will launch their longer shots into an expansive 3,400-square-foot simulator screen, followed by a switch to the "Greenzone" – a short-game zone the size of four basketball courts with a versatile green that adapts to each virtual hole.
The opening match of the new league will see Clark and The Bay face Xander Schauffele's New York Golf Club.
