Steph Curry’s influence clear to see as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy pioneer golf’s bold new future
TGL, the innovative golf league created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy that will debut in January, has an abundance of star power, and it is not limited to only the playing rosters.
The indoor, tech-infused league has signed up 24 of the PGA Tour’s top stars, but some of the biggest names involved in the new venture are not from the golfing world. TGL has a long list of household names who have invested in the league and its six clubs, ranging from tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams to NFL stars past and present Josh Allen, Tony Romo and Larry Fitzgerald.
Basketball superstars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson – plus their former Golden State Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala – are co-owners of The Bay Golf Club, alongside private equity billionaire Marc Lasry and his Avenue Sports Fund.
Both Curry and Thompson are golf fanatics, with the former teammates uniting for a Netflix-streamed match against Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce last year. Scratch golfer Curry, in particular, has a deep interest in the game, founding and championing Underrated Golf, which provides opportunities to 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren from underrepresented backgrounds to pursue their dreams in golf.
The Bay’s roster is made up of Shane Lowry, Min Woo Lee, Ludvig Aberg and 2023 U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark. The world No. 7 already has a friendship with Curry, and he believes the opportunities for cross-pollination with the four-time NBA champion are going to be hugely beneficial to the team and the league as it vies to make a big impression with fans.
“I think we have the coolest owners, that’s for sure,” Clark told Mirror Sports. “Steph loves golf, and so does Klay. Steph’s obviously a great golfer. I’m friends with Steph. And then having the Avenue Sports Group behind it as well, it’s really neat to be part of that.
“And the cool thing is there’s going to be some really cool crossover things that we’re going to do where we’ll go to basketball games and watch Steph play. And Steph will come and watch us play at TGL. So there’s some fun stuff that we’re going to do and some great collaborations that I think just makes it even more exciting and fun.
“It’s always great when you get other sports collaborating together because it just shows how fun it is to be a professional golfer and that we all enjoy this game of golf. And it’s awesome that guys like Steph and Klay are really taking that to another level by sponsoring and endorsing a team for TGL.”
TGL is the brain𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 of TMRW Sports, a company co-owned by Woods, McIlroy and media executive Mike McCarley. The league will debut on Jan. 7, live on ESPN.
The 15-hole matches will be held on Monday and Tuesday nights in primetime at the bespoke 1,500-capacity SoFi Center arena in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Players will hit longer shots into a 3,400-square-foot simulator screen, before moving to the “Greenzone” – a dynamic short-game area the size of four basketball courts with a green that changes characteristics depending on the virtual hole being played.
Clark and The Bay are set to play in TGL’s inaugural match, taking on Xander Schauffele’s New York Golf Club to tee off the league’s debut season.
