What is LIV Golf’s next target? Well, that’s hard to say. Interestingly, when the Saudi-backed league started, Greg Norman talked about taking a step toward women’s golf and its development when he revealed, “I have personally had discussions with individual LPGA Tour players, Ladies European Tour players, the Ladies European Tour. They love what our product is showcasing. They ask all the time, ‘How can we get involved?’ We’d love to see a LIV ladies series.” However, that hasn’t happened yet. Meanwhile, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy‘s TMRW Sports joined the race for equality with an interesting revelation on similar lines.
Even though the company’s first project, TGL, is scheduled to start in January 2025, they are also planning to expand into new formats, leagues, and media properties. Michael Blank, head of consumer investments at Connect Ventures, revealed this plan. Meanwhile, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Mike McCarley disclosed in an interview that the company is “in discussions with other governing bodies.” What could be the target of this? Well, the answer is women’s golf.
Revealing their intentions, Mike McCarley further stated, “A push into women’s golf is among the options being considered.” It has been more than two years since LIV Golf was announced, but the golf world has not seen “LIV ladies.” While there has been no confirmation from him, Woods and McIlroy seem to have taken a step toward this initiative.
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Will it happen? There is no specific answer; however, after Cornwell said, “Our goal has always been to partner with world-class management teams in sports that have a big following, TMRW is taking intellectual property and applying it in such a way that’s going to not only get existing fans excited but also bring new fans under the tent. And, since accessibility and bringing diversity into sport are among our priorities, it’s a great fit.”
Woods, McIlroy, and former Golf Channel executive Mike McCarley introduced TMRW Sports in 2022. There have been no reports of its official value since then. However, a recent report from bloomberg.com revealed that after securing backing from Dynasty Equity Partners, co-founded by K. Don Cornwell and Jonathan Nelson, TMRW Sports’s TGL is now officially valued at $500 million.
via Reuters
The anticipation is running high toward their next move. With the new investment, the company is stepping forward to fulfill the promise made by the $925 billion PIF, there is still time before this happens. While the impact of TMRW Sports is uncertain till it happens, LPGA pros like Rose Zhang believe the Saudi-backed league could be beneficial for women’s golf.
What Rose Zhang has to about the involvement of Saudi investment
Since the initial announcement, fans and pros have eagerly awaited the merger. However, the LPGA Tour was excluded from the merger between the PGA Tour, Saudi Arabia’s LIV Golf, and the European Tour. Zhang believes Saudi Arabia’s involvement could improve the state of women’s golf, stating, “I think it definitely could,” to Front Office Sports when asked if investment from Saudi Arabia could help grow women’s golf and the LPGA Tour.
Even though there isn’t any confirmation of their involvement Zhang is positive toward the investment and further added: “You obviously get everything from the media, and you see how both tours are progressing in the merger, but in terms of women’s golf, there’s a lot that can happen, and I’m more of an observer.” The Ladies European Tour has benefited from Saudi Arabia, which has been hosting the Aramco Saudi Ladies International tournament since 2020 and increased the prize money for this year’s event to $5 million.
