Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank buys a team in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s new TGL golf league… billionaire boss of The Home Depot adds a third franchise to his portfolio
- Arthur Blank currently owns NFL team Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United in MLS
- The billionaire will now be the boss of a team in TGL, which launches next year
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Arthur Blank, the billionaire owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United, has added to his franchise portfolio by buying a team in the new TGL golf league set up by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
Blank, who co-founded The Home Depot and is estimated to be worth $7.8billion, announced the news on Monday morning. It means Atlanta is now the home of the third of six TGL teams – following on from Los Angeles and Boston.
TGL is a new golf league set up ‘in partnership with the PGA TOUR’ which sees six, three-man teams battling in a two-hour team golf competition with ‘a focus on technology, innovation, and fan engagement’.
The venture, formed in part by Woods and McIlroy, will be based at ‘a purpose-built venue in Palm Beach’ which combines ‘a data-rich virtual course with a state-of-the-art short game complex creating a unique experience for the fans in the stands and watching around the world.’
Jon Rahm, Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa are among those to have signed up, with the inaugural season kicking off in January 2024.
Blank hailed the ‘unique’ format in a statement. ‘Atlanta golf fans should be excited because we’re going to put in all the expertise, all the knowledge, all the fandom – everything we do well – into this new team and we’ll have great players,’ he said.
Arthur Blank has added to his franchise portfolio by buying a team in the new TGL golf league
The venture was co-formed by two of golf’s biggest names, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy
‘It’ll be great for Atlanta, great for everybody who’s committed to the game of the golf… this will allow us to bring golf to our fans in a different format – live, exciting, the best players in the world taking advantage of the greatest technology that’s available.’
He added: ‘Georgia is a huge state for golf, obviously with the Masters at Augusta and the Tour Championship which we host every year in Atlanta at East Lake.’
Blank joins a host of big-name owners helping launch the new venture. Los Angeles Golf Club is owned by Venus and Serena Williams as well as Serena’s partner Alexis Ohanian and their daughter Olympia.
The unnamed Boston team is under the control of Fenway Sports Group, who own Liverpool FC and the Boston Red Sox.
Venus Williams has been announced as one of the owners of Los Angeles Golf Club
Between them, the three ownership groups’ portfolio now spans the NFL, MLB, NHL, Premier League, NASCAR, MLS, and NWSL.
Blank’s team will play in five regular season matches against the other TGL teams, followed by semifinals and finals.
‘I’m excited about seeing the world of golf expanded,’ the 80-year-old added.
‘We have a lot of younger folks today, who are connecting to a variety of things through technology… I’m looking forward to the opportunity to tell the story of golf in a broader format than we’ve seen in the past.’