Stephen Curry, the NBA basketball star, is part of a group that has acquired the ownership rights to a San Francisco-based team in the new TGL tech-infused golf competition starting next year.
Curry is leading the new ownership group with Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund. Lasry is the co-founder and chief executive of global investment firm Avenue Capital Group and former co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Fellow NBA players Andre Iguodala and Klay Thompson are also part of the ownership group.
Curry’s outfit will be the fifth of six teams in the PGA Tour-affiliated TGL, run by TMRW Sports.
In a statement, Lasry said: “Avenue is thrilled to be working with Stephen Curry, in partnership with TMRW Sports as a founding TGL team.
“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.
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By GlobalData“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.”
The team's name, brand, staff, and assigned players will be announced later this year, along with the inaugural schedule for 2024.
TGL was founded by golf stars Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, alongside businessman Mike McCarley, CEO of both TGL and the trio’s sports entertainment venture TMRW Sports.
McCarley said: “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.”
The TGL will see teams of PGA Tour players compete across 15 matches, two semi-finals, and a final over the season, staged in a purpose-built arena in Palm Beach, Florida. The arena will feature a virtual course as well as short-game greens in a technology-focused experience.
Along with Woods and McIlroy, other players confirmed to compete are Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel, Matt Fitzpatrick, Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Tommy Fleetwood, Tom Kim, Tyrell Hatton, and Shane Lowry – leaving only two empty slots to be claimed.
TGL has already secured teams representing Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York.
Atlanta’s TGL team is owned by US businessman Arthur M. Blank, Boston’s by Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC owner Fenway Sports Group, and Los Angeles’ as a joint venture between tech entrepreneur Alexis Ohanian and tennis greats Serena and Venus Williams.
Steven A. Cohen, owner of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, secured ownership of the New York team last month.
NBA player Giannis Antetokounmpo and his brothers are also shareholders in the Los Angeles Golf Club team.
It means that the five confirmed TGL ownership groups own interests across either NBA, NFL, MLB, National Hockey League, English Premier League, Nascar, Major League Soccer, or the National Women’s Soccer League.
The TGL is set to debut in January 2024. In preparation, TMRW Sports has been expanding its executive staff in recent months. In June, the venture appointed Jarrett Dube as chief marketing officer, Jeff Neubarth as vice president of media production, and Ashley Chalk as vice president of global partnerships.
