Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy-led TGL took a serious step towards diversity as LPGA Tour prodigy Rose Zhang was announced as an investor of the Bay Area Golf Club. The two-time LPGA Tour winner became a minority investor in the San Francisco-based team after joining the ownership group. She is already proving that she can be a real go-getter on and off the course.

Along with Marc Lasry’s Avenue Sports Fund, the ownership group includes prominent people like NBA champions Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala. What a group to be a part of. Rose Zhang feels the same.  “To see other athletes like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andre Iguodala involved makes it even more amazing,” she stated. “We could not be prouder to welcome Rose to The Bay Golf Club family,” said Marc Lasry, Chief Executive Officer of Avenue Capital Group, who spoke about Zhang’s inclusion.

The Stanford alum’s inclusion means that a possible push for adding female players to the competition is not far off. The newest TGL Investor was on top of the idea. She feels that having female golfers will bring a lot of fresh challenges into the league, which is bound to make it exciting. “It brings a lot of variety with the format that it is — indoor golf, one vs. one or team vs. team. Having diversity really brings this sort of platform to life.” 

What makes the inclusion of LPGA Tour players exciting, is that there are very interesting personalities amongst them. Famous Brit golfer Charley Hull had even drawn comparisons to the unshakeable John Daly with her demeanor and attitude.“I think a lot of people don’t understand, there are a lot of characters out there on the LPGA Tour. You’ve got a lot of people with personalities that are so suited for this type of format. To start off, in my opinion, I’d love to see Megan Khang hop on there. Charley Hull is a world-renowned name, it’d be really entertaining to see what she does.”

And it is not just the personalities that are catchy. The talent is there too. Top golfers like Hull, Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda, and many more could lend more flavor and excitement to the contest. Korda herself seems to be highly interested in the format. She is watching it too. She had put up a funny story on Instagram, proving that she is getting around the tech league.

Keegan Bradley, who plays for Rory McIlroy’s Boston Common Golf was decked in green, his team’s colors. That, along with the cap, and the thick moustache, made him seem similar to a famous video game character. Yep, you guessed it right. Luigi, the brother of Mario. And Korda did not waste time, drawing the same comparison in her IG Story.

If the TGL is looking to include female golfers, there should be no trouble in finding the best at their trade. Zhang also thinks so. “If you want really good players, you’ve got Lydia Ko, you’ve got Nelly Korda.” The 21-year-old feels that any joint experience would be completely supported by the female Tour. “I can definitely see the LPGA hopping on board with it, having specific players participate in a TGL event.”

Rose Zhang was involved in an edition of the exhibition golf game, The Match. ‘The Match IX’, as that edition was titled, was the first edition that featured LPGA Players. Her, Lexi Thompson, Max Homa, and Rory McIlroy competed against each other. Zhang feels including female players will be similar to The Match, “but it’s inside and indoors so it’s fair play for everyone.”

The Northern Irish golfer won the event, but only after a hard-fought playoff. That was an exciting occasion when both golf worlds clashed. “This is what golf should be more like,” Max Homa stated after the event. With such great ideas, it seems like a good choice for the TGL to have Zhang as part of their investment team.

Rose Zhang’s thoughts on the TGL investment

Rose Zhang’s pathway to being an investor was surprising initially. But she had been a big fan of the league ever since its inception and when the opportunity came she did not have to think twice.“I’d heard about it on social media, but I never really thought about becoming an investor. My agency brought the opportunity to me. It’s low stakes for me because I’m not the one playing out there. It’s cool to be on the investing side of things; this is one of the first things I’ve invested in, in the golf world at least,” added Zhang.

The team she was investing in also was a perfect choice for her. Rose Zhang was born in Arcadia in the state of California and currently resides in a place called Irvine in the same state. She also went to college at Stanford University. Therefore her connection with the state of California and San Francisco goes beyond simple. “The Bay Area has played a huge role in my life and career,” stated the two-time LPGA Tour winner. Zhang also added her feeling of attachment to the Bay Area is not just because of her residence there. “The energy in the Bay Area, with its drive for success and diverse cultures, deeply resonates with me, especially coming from a traditional Chinese household.”

The investment seems like a match made in heaven. Zhang’s inclusion is just one step in TGL’s pathway to include more diversity and variety in their fold. Grant Thornton Invitational, where PGA Tour and LPGA Tour players pair to play is also a hit amongst fans, so undoubtedly this would be too. Do you think Nelly Korda will do well at TGL?