Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new golf league, TGL, is getting some fresh star power representing the Big Apple.
Cohen Private Ventures, the family office of Steve Cohen, announced on Thursday that Eli Manning, Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Michael Strahan, John McEnroe and Jimmy Fallon are joining the New York Golf Club’s investor group as limited partners. It is the latest round of big names to join the golf upstart that kicks off Jan. 7 in tandem with the start of the 2025 FedEx Cup season.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Cohen, who also owns Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, acquired the rights to the New York Golf team last September. The team will be represented in its inaugural season by Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, Matt Fitzpatrick and Cameron Young.
“New York has the greatest fans in the world, and we have built a team that will make New Yorkers proud. We believe this fresh, innovative take on the sport will appeal to traditional and new golf fans alike,” Cohen told CNBC in a statement.
Former New York Giants Super Bowl-winning quarterback Manning says he knows firsthand the excitement New Yorkers have for sports.
“There [have] been a lot of exciting trends in golf with participation growing on and off the course,” Manning said in a statement to CNBC.
TGL is the new primetime, high-tech golf league launched by Woods, McIlroy and Golf Channel executive Mike McCarley. The league will operate in partnership with the PGA Tour, which is an investor, and will run complementary to the Tour schedule. ESPN landed the broadcast rights to the league last October.
TGL will feature Tour players split into six teams, competing in two-hour, head-to-head matches in a newly designed facility in Palm Beach, Florida.
The league was expected to launch in 2024, but the dome being built to house competition collapsed after a power outage.
Other big-name investors in TGL include National Basketball Association legends Stephen Curry, Shaquille O’Neal and Kevin Durant; MLB superstars Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout; National Football League quarterback Josh Allen; tennis legend Serena Williams; and Formula 1 driver Lewis Hamilton.
Former New York Yankees star Jeter told CNBC he was drawn to the investment opportunity because it combines his passion for golf and his love of New York.
“I’m looking forward to seeing NYGC added to New York’s sports legacy,” said Jeter.