Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have taken another big step towards the start of their tech-infused TGL golf league after announcing the inaugural team.
Tennis legend Serena Williams has announced that, along with sister Venus and husband Alexis Ohanian, she will be co-owner of The Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC). The team is the first to be confirmed in the new PGA Tour-partnered league being led by Woods and McIlroy.
It has been a tumultuous week for golf, which saw Woods and McIlroy left in the dark as LIV Golf and the PGA Tour announced a shock merger on Tuesday. Despite all the off-course drama, the two legends of the game are pushing on with their own new competition moving a stage closer to reality.
The new TGL league will feature six teams made up of players across the PGA Tour. The tech-infused league will be played on an 18-hole virtual course and take place on Monday nights in a custom-made venue in Palm Beach, Florida.
Upon announcing the news, Serena Williams posted on Twitter a short video about LAGC teaming up with TGL. The 22-time Grand Slam champion announced that the golf club she part-owns with her sister and husband will be the inaugural team in TGL.
Williams wrote: “Thrilled to announce @wearelagc —@tgl's inaugural team! An important part of Los Angeles Golf Club is making golf our own, for everybody, and I couldn’t be more excited to shape the future of this sport with my family.”
TGL was first announced last year, with initial renderings indicating that players will hit a ball into a virtual screen, which will also include chipping and putting, as well as driving. The league is due to begin in January next year, and will feature six teams each made up of three players, with LAGC now being confirmed as the inaugural team.
Ohanian, who co-founded Reddit in 2005, married Williams in 2017 and the pair are currently expecting the birth of their second child. He also spoke about the partnership with TGL.
He said: "My wife Serena and I are delighted that [our daughter] Olympia has taken a liking to golf, so I'm proud to announce that they're both owners in this club as well -- as is the little one on the way!
“This is another piece of the legacy I'm building with my family, and I hope LAGC can become a part of many other families' lives too."
