Tiger Woods and Serena Williams are officially business partners, with Rory McIlroy are Venus Williams also involved.
A group consisting of the Williams sisters and Serena’s husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanion, have purchased the first team of TGL, an upcoming indoor golf league backed by Woods and McIlroy, it was announced Thursday.
The new team will be called Los Angeles Golf Club.
Ohanian and Serena’s 5-year-old daughter, Olympia, and all future children will also own shares in the club through a trust.
Ohanian will be the majority owner, as each TGL team must have an owner who owns at least 33.3% of the team’s capital and at least 51% of the voting shares, per Sportico. The club itself will also hold a 3% stake in the league.
From Sportico:
“I like to bet big – and bet early – on things in sports,” Ohanian, who owns NWSL club Angel City FC, said in an interview. “What’s so appealing about it is that you already have a globally recognized sport, incredibly popular, with the best players in the world engaged. … And now they’ve designed a format that finally makes sense for a fan. casual who just wants to get excited and fired up.
Ohanian and Serena already have an investment in Los Angeles sports with Angel City of the NWSL. Serena and Venus are also minority owners of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, in addition to a considerable number of other business ventures.
What is TGL?
TGL is a tech-infused team golf brand partnered with the PGA Tour, which Woods and McIlroy coincidentally championed against LIV Golf until the two teams merged earlier this week. TMRW Sports, which was co-founded by Woods, McIlroy and media executive Mike McCarley, is the majority owner, while the PGA Tour has a minority stake.
The league is expected to begin operations in 2024 with teams of three PGA golfers each. According to the league’s website, the list of committed golfers already includes Woods, McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas.
What will all of this look like? Well, imagine a neon-lit “Mario Golf” played on a virtual course in a large stadium with prime-time Monday night golf.