Is Tiger Woods’s TGL Becoming Golf’s Richest League? $500M Allies’ Plans Boost Hopes After Forgetful Disaster

It’s onward and upward for TGL. TMRW Sports, the brainchild of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, has closed the Series A level funding drawing top investors to the board. Among the notables, which included sports personalities investing in a personal capacity and leading business institutions, was Ackerley Sports Group. 

The Seattle-based investment firm was already heavily invested in the NBA and WNBA. Per Geekwire, Ted Ackerley hopes that the primetime slot on ESPN and the innovative format of the league will draw eyeballs to the game. Moreover, Ackerley is also eyeing a team for Seattle in the tech-infused league. 

Currently, TGL has six teams with four players in each. Tiger Woods is the co-owner of his team, Jupiter Links GC. Whereas Rory McIlroy co-owns the Boston Common Golf through his Symphony Ventures. 

The Ackerley Group is a minority owner of the Seattle Kraken NHL team. On top of that, they are also a minority stakeholder in Leeds United Football Club in the Championship, the second tier of the English Premier League. Notably, Justin Thomas (Atlanta Drive Golf Club) and Jordan Spieth have also invested in the West Yorkshire-based club. 

The Ackerley Group, founded by Ted’s father, Barry Ackerley, owned the Seattle Supersonics. Ackerley sold the Supersonics to Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz in 2001, who later sold it to Clay Bennet of Oklahoma. The Supersonics were renamed the Oklahoma Thunder thereafter. The Seattle Storm, the WNBA team founded by Barry and his wife, Ginger, was also part of the reported $200 million deal. 

With the latest series of investments, TGL is now valued at $500 million. The NFL, the richest league in the world, is valued at $18.6 billion. In the country, TGL was set to be the fifth biggest league after the NFL, NBA ($10.58 billion) MLB ($10.32 billion), and NHL ($5.93B). However, with the latest set of investments from the Strategic Sports Group and potentially Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in the future, PGA Tour Enterprises is worth north of $12 billion, per some estimates. 

Nevertheless, the funding from all the right groups and the addition of more teams can raise the valuation of TGL further. But it’s unlikely to trump the PGA Tour in the near future. The Series A funding was led by Dynasty Equity and Connect Ventures. The newly joined investors also include a long-time patron of golf.

Tiger Woods to rope Genesis into TGL?

Per a Forbes report dated June 24, Genesis, a brand with deep ties with the PGA Tour, has joined as the founding partner of TGL. Genesis, which already sponsors the Tiger Woods-hosted tournament at the Riviera Country Club, is slated to invest $5–8 million as the official automobile company of the futuristic indoor golf league. As the founding partner, Genesis will have in-venue LED signage per the same report, and their commercials will run on ESPN primetime.

TGL was postponed to January 25 because of a roof-dome collapse of the So-Fi Center, the venue of the futuristic league. The innovative indoor league, featuring both simulation and on-the-green golf, will debut on ESPN and ESPN+ on January 7. Notably, TMRW Sports is interested in venturing into the women’s game as well.

The first three matches will tee off on the first three Tuesdays of January. Deubitng right after football games, TMRW Sports wanted to capture the audience glued to the TV during the NFL playoffs and college football playoffs. The full schedule has yet to be released.