Eli Manning and Derek Jeter Are Investing in Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s Indoor Golf League

It’s a great time to invest in a sports team.  

TGL, an innovative indoor golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, hasn’t even teed off yet, yet there’s no shortage of big names that want to get involved. Steve Cohen, who also owns the New York Mets, bought the rights to New York Golf Club last year, one of six teams that will be competing. Now the Big Apple-based club has received a major boost from some of the world’s greatest athletes with Eli Manning, Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, Michael Strahan, and tennis legend John McEnroe signing on as limited partners. Actor and late-night host Jimmy Fallon is also an investor, CNBC reported. 

“There [have] been a lot of exciting trends in golf with participation growing on and off the course,” Manning, a former quarterback for the NFL’s New York Giants, told the news site. 

The high-tech league, which will operate in collaboration with the PGA Tour (also an investor), is expected to make its debut on January 7 on ESPN and ESPN+. The first competition will be between Cohen’s New York Golf Club—led by Matt Fitzpatrick, Rickie Fowler, Xander Schauffele, and Cameron Young—and the Bay Golf Club.  

“New York has the greatest fans in the world, and we have built a team that will make New Yorkers proud,” Cohen told CNBC. “We believe this fresh, innovative take on the sport will appeal to traditional and new golf fans alike.” 

Teams will face off from the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. The newly designed arena can accommodate approximately 15,000 people and will feature a massive simulator screen and virtual greens. The launch of TGL was initially delayed due to major damage to the venue. According to reports, the roof collapsed due to a power outage in November 2023, two months before the indoor golf league was supposed to host its first match. 

Jeter, who was part owner and CEO of the Miami Marlins up until 2022, is expanding his professional sports team portfolio yet again with this new venture. “I’m looking forward to seeing NYGC added to New York’s sports legacy,” he told CNBC. The five-time World Series champ joins basketball star Steph Curry, F1 racer Lewis Hamilton, Tony Romo, Josh Allen, and Justin Timberlake as investors in the league.  

TGL isn’t the only sport to bring in some star power behind the scenes. E1 Series, an all-electric boat racing competition, has added Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, and soccer player Didier Drogba as team captains, while LeBron James just invested in the PGA tour.