Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy's TMRW Golf League (TGL) has announced the formation of its first of six team ownership groups. Seven Seven Six's (776) founder Alexis Ohanian has joined forces with tennis superstars Serena Williams and Venus Williams to create the Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC).
League play begins in January 2024.
Ohanian, who is married to Serena, already serves as the principal owner of another sports team in Los Angeles as he is the founding investor of L.A.'s National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Angel City FC. The duo have been a part of TMRW Sports as investors and will now take their involvement to the next level.
"We're honored to welcome Alexis, Serena, and Venus as one of TGL's original six team ownership groups," said TGL CEO Mike McCarley in a statement. "Through his ownership of Angel City FC, Alexis has established himself as a trailblazer in the Southern California professional sports scene. In a very short period of time, Angel City has both planted strong roots in the community and built tremendous value. His deep passion for the projects he undertakes combined with his innovative thinking, strategic prowess, and demonstrated success in social media and tech-focused ventures, is important as we build towards the launch of TGL."
TGL commands the services of five of the top-10 players in the Official World Golf Rankings. Its roster of players has combined for 28 major championships, 188 PGA Tour victories and 865 weeks at world No. 1.
TGL currently has 12 players on board as it aims to fill out six teams of three PGA Tour players each. The Monday night league includes Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott and Justin Thomas in addition to McIlroy and Woods.
Though Woods, like many golfers, lives in Florida, he has ties to the city of Los Angeles that would make him a logical member of the LAGC team; Morikawa and Homa are also L.A. natives. Membership in the team has yet to be announced.
"Los Angeles is the perfect home for our TGL team. This city embodies the intersection of sports, technology, and entertainment, making it an ideal backdrop for the innovation and excitement we aim to bring to the world of golf and its fans," said Ohanian, founder, 776. "We see tremendous opportunities to leverage technology to bring golf closer to its fans and to provide an immersive and interactive experience that will captivate both seasoned golf enthusiasts and new fans."
In partnership with the PGA Tour, the TGL will consist of a 15-match regular season schedule with playoffs to follow. The six teams will face each other in two-hour head-to-head matches that is digestible for both the viewer at home and those up close and personal in the stands. Players will strike full shots -- both off the tee and approaches into the green -- into a simulator while short-game shots will take place in front of fans in a new arena built on the Palm Beach State campus in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
