Tennis star sisters, Serena and Venus Williams, as well as Reddit creator, Alexis Ohanian, will own the first team in TGL, the new virtual golf league developed by Tiger Woods and Rory Mcilroy.
The league announced Thursday that Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC) will be the first of six teams in the TGL, a partnership between the PGA Tour and Woods as well as McIlroy’s TMRW Sports.
The TGL is set to stage tech-golf combined made-for-television events on Monday nights starting in January 2024 and would have 15 matches followed by the semi-finals and finals at a specially built venue in Florida.
The 18-hole matches would feature three-golf teams making virtual drives with chipping and putting staged in an arena atmosphere.
Ohanian, who is married to Serena Williams, is also the founding investor in Angel City FC of the National Women’s Soccer League.
“We see tremendous opportunities to leverage technology to bring golf closer to its fans,” said Ohanian, whose wife is pregnant with the couple’s second child.
“Serena and I are delighted that Olympia has taken a liking to golf, so I’m proud to announce that they are both owners in this club as well –- as is the little one on the way,” Ohanian said.
Players who have committed to the project include 15-time major winner Woods, Masters champion Jon Rahm and four-time major winner Rory McIlroy.
For the Williams sisters, who emerged from the hard-scrabble streets of Compton to reign over the tennis world, TGL will represent another opportunity to give back to their community and open more doors in another sport.
The Los Angeles TGL franchise is part of the Ohanian family’s growing sports portfolio.
Ohanian is also the principal owner of Angel City FC, the hugely successful NWSL franchise, while Serena has a minority stake in the NFL’s Miami Dolphins.
The couple’s daughter, Olympia, is part of the ownership group for both teams making the five-year-old the youngest owner of a professional sports outfit, the proud father said with a smile.
While he is a board member of the Tiger Woods Foundation, Ohanian said golf was not on his radar until Olympia began taking up the sport. (Reuters/NAN)
