SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK CITY: TGL presented by SoFi, the new tech-forward, prime time, team golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s TMRW Sports in partnership with the PGA TOUR, today announced the formation of the ownership group that is acquiring the rights to TGL’s San Francisco team. This fifth ownership group to be announced by TGL is led by Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund and Stephen Curry. Additional investors include NBA stars Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson. The announcement was made today by Marc Lasry, Avenue Capital Group Chairman and CEO, and Mike McCarley, CEO, TMRW Sports Group and TGL presented by SoFi.
“Avenue is thrilled to be working with Stephen Curry, in partnership with TMRW Sports as a founding TGL team,” Mr. Lasry said. “Our ownership group is excited to become stewards of TGL San Francisco and to represent Northern California, which is the center of tech innovation and is a perfect location for a TGL team in this extraordinary new sports league. As we move towards the launch of TGL’s inaugural season in January 2024, TGL San Francisco will be focused on developing an extraordinary team of talented players and we are excited to have Andre and Klay as part of our amazing ownership group.”
Avenue Capital Group, a global investment firm with $12.5 billion in asset under management, recently launched the Avenue Sports Fund. Mr. Lasry has demonstrated leadership in sports, including as former Co-Owner of the Championship Milwaukee Bucks NBA franchise. The investment in TGL San Francisco is one of the first investments to be made by the Avenue Sports Fund, which seeks to provide capital solutions to a wide variety of sports teams, owners, and leagues, as well as invest in sports-related media and entertainment rights, real estate, and other adjacent businesses.
Curry’s strategic relationship with Lasry in the Avenue Sports Fund is the latest addition to a growing business portfolio that includes, the award-winning production company Unanimous Media; the purpose-driven lifestyle brand, UNDERRATED golf and basketball; his signature Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Gentleman’s Cut; and his nationally acclaimed foundation, EAT. LEARN. PLAY. that has raised over $47 million for Oakland kids and families.
“Northern California is both the hub of tech innovation and home to world-class golf courses, some of the most-famous players in history and incredible golf fans, which makes San Francisco a natural choice for our next TGL team. Combining the business expertise of Avenue Capital Group with the championship mentality brought by these NBA superstars, this TGL team will generate a lot of energy in the Bay Area and around the world. We’re honored to welcome them to TGL,” said Mr. McCarley.
Team names, brands, front office staff and assigned players will be unveiled later this year, as will the inaugural schedule and other operational and fan-centric elements of TGL presented by SoFi. Currently five of six team ownership groups have been announced and their combined sports team ownership experience spans the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Premier League, NASCAR, MLS, and NWSL:
- Atlanta Drive GC: led by Arthur M. Blank, AMB Sports and Entertainment (Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, PGA TOUR Superstores)
- TGL Boston: led by John Henry, Tom Werner, Mike Gordon, and Fenway Sports Group (Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC, Pittsburgh Penguins, RFK Racing)
- Los Angeles Golf Club: led by Alexis Ohanian (Angel City FC), Seven Seven Six, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams; as well as limited partners the Antetokounmpo brothers, Alex Morgan, Servando Carrasco, and Michelle Wie West
- TGL New York: led by Steven A. Cohen (New York Mets), Cohen Private Ventures
- TGL San Francisco: a group led by Avenue Sports Fund’s Marc Lasry, Stephen Curry, Andre Iguodala, and Klay Thompson
TGL presented by SoFi is a new golf league that fuses advanced tech and live action with six teams of SoFi Center is TGL’s purpose-built arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on the campus of Palm Beach State College. Technology is a foundational element of TGL, offering fans a progressive, shorter format presentation of team golf, featuring some of the PGA TOUR’s biggest superstars. TGL’s six teams will be comprised of 24 committed players, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick, Max Homa, Wyndham Clark, Tom Kim, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Cam Young, Keegan Bradley, Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala, Lucas Glover, Shane Lowry, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Billy Horschel, and Kevin Kisner. With currently 7 of the top 10 players in the world, TGL players have 32 major championships victories, 223 PGA TOUR wins, an additional 119 international victories and collectively have ranked as the World No. 1 for 886 weeks.
- TGL Teams: The six TGL teams will each have four players assigned. A TGL match will feature three players competing for each team in a modern match-play format.
- Custom-Built Venue: SoFi Center is a first-of-its-kind experience for golf enabled by a data-rich, virtual course paired with a tech-infused, short-game complex.
- Tech-Enabled Fan Experience: High-energy, greenside fan experience with every shot live within a two-hour televised match. All TGL players will be mic’d up.
- Inaugural Season: 15 regular season matches followed by semifinals and finals matches, on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ in the U.S.
About Avenue Capital Group
Avenue Capital Group is a global investment firm focused primarily on making opportunistic credit and other special situations investments across the United States, Europe and Asia. Avenue, founded in 1995 by Marc Lasry and Sonia Gardner, draws on the skills and experience of over 60 investment professionals, and more than 180 employees worldwide operating from its headquarters in New York and offices in Dublin, London, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Singapore, Sydney, Abu Dhabi and Silicon Valley. Avenue has assets under management of approximately $12.5 billion.
About TMRW Sports Group: (pronounced “tomorrow sports”)
Founded by Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, and sports executive Mike McCarley, TMRW Sports is focused on building progressive approaches in sports, media, and entertainment that inspire the modern sports fan to create deeper connections with technology and culture. TMRW Sports’ first project, TGL presented by SoFi, is a new team golf league launched in partnership with the PGA TOUR. TMRW Sports is supported by an all-star roster of athletes, celebrities, and business leaders from the worlds of sports, media, technology, and finance who make up a powerful and diverse investor group. TMRW Sports joins Woods’ TGR Ventures and McIlroy’s Symphony Ventures, and is led by McCarley, founder and CEO. For more, visit TMRWSportsGroup.com.
TMRW Sports Group Media Contacts:
David Schaefer
SVP, Communications
David.Schaefer@TMRWSportsGroup.com
+46702877637 (mobile and WhatsApp)
407-429-8402 (U.S. mobile)
Adam Freifeld
Senior Communications Consultant
Adam.Freifeld@TMRWSportsGroup.com
917-597-7762
Avenue Capital Media Contact:
Todd Fogarty
Kekst CNC
todd.fogarty@kekstcnc.com
917-992-1170
