Latest news with #GolfGenius
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Rory McIlroy Dives Deeper Into Private Equity
Fresh off finally securing a career grand slam with a thrilling win at the Masters, Rory McIlroy, the world's second-ranked golfer, is rounding out another corner of his life: investing. Mr. McIlroy's investment firm, Symphony Ventures, is teaming up with the private equity firm TPG to start TPG Sports, an investment fund that will place bets on businesses across the sports industry. Mr. McIlroy started Symphony Ventures with his business partner, Sean O'Flaherty, in 2019. Both men will serve as operating partners for TPG Sports. 'We were talking about what's the next step for us,' Mr. McIlroy said in an interview. 'The timing was right.' Mr. McIlroy's increasing immersion in business is not uncommon among golf's greats; Tiger Woods, Greg Norman and Jack Nicklaus have all built big business portfolios around golf and beyond. But his partnership with TPG comes as record dollars are flowing into sports. Competition by media companies over premium live content has driven up valuations of traditional teams and created demand for new ones. 'Sports is undergoing a big transformation,' Mr. McIlroy said. 'There is a lot of investment going into the sports world and trying to make it more professional — and trying to bring it into the 21st century.' Mr. McIlroy has been taking advantage of those opportunities. Investments by Symphony Ventures include Golf Genius, a golf tournament software platform, and Puttery, an immersive mini-golf experience. In 2022, Mr. McIlroy also co-founded a company that helped create TGL, a team-based high-tech golf league that has drawn investors like Arthur Blank, a co-founder of Home Depot and the owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and Steven Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets. Mr. McIlroy's investment focus led him to TPG. The firm brought him on as an investor in some of its prior deals, like its stake in Troon, the golf course management company, in 2021. TPG is making its official foray into sports as investors face a volatile landscape, with President Trump's tariffs rattling the stock market and analysts saying a recession is becoming more likely. 'Probably the best opportunities that we've seen and invested in over the past 30 years have also come at moments of uncertainty,' Todd Sisitsky, the president of TPG, said. TPG is launching TPG Sports with a secured investment commitment from Lunate, an investment fund based in Abu Dhabi. TPG did not disclose the size of that investment. TPG manages more than $200 billion in assets and has extensive experience in the media industry, which is increasingly entwined with sports. Among those deals are DirecTV and Creative Artists Agency. Mr. McIlroy brings a different sort of experience. As a former member of the influential PGA Tour Policy Board, he was briefly on the front lines of deal talks between the PGA Tour and the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. (The talks have since stalled.) He stepped down in 2023 to focus on golf, his family — and his growing investing portfolio. 'I just felt like something had to give,' Mr. McIlroy said at the time. Some of his business bets may take years to blossom. For now, Mr. McIlroy is looking for a win at this month's P.G.A. Championship.
Khaleej Times
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Birdie-birdie finish propels Samawi to victory in Jumeirah Golf Estates Amateur Open
Rami Samawi (The Els Club) capped off a stellar performance with a birdie-birdie finish over the Earth course to win the 2025 Jumeirah Golf Estates Amateur Open. He shot a final round of 70, sealing his victory with a total score of 212, four under par. The event was played over two rounds on the Fire course, with the final round on the Earth course. Samawi earlier shot rounds of 72 and 70 for his 54-hole total of 212, four under par, to claim the win. Samawi was well-positioned heading into the final round, sitting at two under par with the leaders at four under. He played a solid front nine with a score of 37. On the back nine, he stumbled with a bogey on hole 12 but bounced back to even par for the round with a birdie on hole 14. A brilliant birdie-birdie finish on holes 17 and 18 allowed him to cross the finish line by the narrowest of margins, one shot ahead of Viktor Kofod-Olsen (Emirates Golf Club) and leading female Anca Matieu (Emirates Golf Club). The top DP World Tour professionals would have been proud of his finish in front of an appreciative crowd of fellow players. Defending champion Thomas Stephenson (Jumeirah Golf Estates) shot level par for the tournament, finishing tied for seventh. Other players in the mix, also on level par, included Jay Mullane (Jumeirah Golf Estates) and Oscar Craig (TFA, Jumeirah Golf Estates). On one over par were Mo Craig (TFA, Jumeirah Golf Estates) and Ahmad Skaik (UAE). In the Net Division, Deniz Sapnaz from Turkey, with a handicap of 3, claimed victory with rounds of 70, 71, and 69, finishing six under par. He beat the improving and impressive UAE National player, Faye AlBlooshi, who had three steady rounds of 70, securing the silver podium position. Cameron McWhinnie, Assistant Golf Services Manager at Jumeirah Golf Estates, commented, 'We have witnessed some excellent golf at our Jumeirah Golf Estates Amateur Open, our flagship tournament on our domestic club calendar. What a finish we have seen with 11 players all within five shots of the champion – it was really anyone's to win over those last few holes. Well done to all the winners and all those who played – it was a special few days for us all.' The Golf Genius password for all results is JGEAO25. Results (Par 70) - Gross: R. Samawi (The Els Club, Dubai): 72, 70, 70, 212 V. Kofod-Olsen (Emirates Golf Club): 69, 73, 71, 213 A. Matieu (Emirates Golf Club): 72, 69, 72, 213 S. Mullane (UAE): 71, 68, 74, 213 J. Selvaraj (EGF): 72, 70, 73, 215 A. Hess (The Els Club, Dubai): 68, 73, 74, 215 Net Division: D. Sapnaz (3, Turkey): 70, 71, 69, 210 F. AlBlooshi (5, UAE): 70, 70, 70, 210
Khaleej Times
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Khaleej Times
Sam Mullane leads Jumeirah Golf Estates Amateur Open after two rounds
Sam Mullane (UAE) leads the 2025 Jumeirah Golf Estates Amateur Open after rounds of 71 and 68, placing him at five under par (139) and one shot ahead of his brother Jay. The tournament, supported by The R&A, is an Emirates Golf Federation (EGF) Order of Merit event and a World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) qualifier, played over 54 holes and awarding WAGR points. It is open to both male and female golfers, with 122 men and 14 women participating. The field also includes 21 overseas players from 11 countries. The leading female player is Anca Matieu (Emirates Golf Club), who carded rounds of 72 and 69 to reach three under par. After his round, Sam Mullane commented: 'I played some pretty solid golf today – with five birdies and just one bogey. I was happy with my game – and I benefitted with the fog delay of two hours and 20 minutes. I stayed at home during the delay – so did not use all my energy waiting to tee off.' 'I have a good record at my home club at JGE where I have been a member for about five years. I prefer the Earth to the Fire course,' he added. 'I won this event in 2023 when it was first a WAGR qualifier tournament and I came third last year. It is always fun to play competitive golf with my brother Jay – I will try and make sure we are in different golf carts.' The final round will be played on Sunday on the Earth Course, with the first tee time at 6:30 AM. The Golf Genius Password for all LIVE Scoring is: JGEAO25 Leading Second Round Scores (Par 70): S. Mullane (UAE) 71-68—139 J. Mullane (JGE) 73-67—140 A. Matieu (EGC) 72-69—141 A. Hess (The Els Club, Dubai) 68-73—141 S. Paruthi (India) 71-70—141 Final round tee times are available on the Golf Genius link. The leaders will tee off last at 1:20 PM in three-balls, with the final pairing featuring the Mullane brothers and Anca Matieu.
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Charlie Woods in field for prestigious junior event near Augusta
Tiger Woods has won five Masters. His son, Charlie, is set to play in an elite tournament that is widely considered as junior golf's equivalent of the year's first major, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. According to the event's list of participants, which is available to players via a Golf Genius link and was obtained by Charlie Woods' name appears as the 37th and final participant for the March 19-22 tournament at Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, South Carolina, which is not far from Augusta National. That field-size number is surprising considering the tournament usually boasts a 36-player, invitation-only field consisting of the top junior players in the world. A tournament spokesperson told "At this time, we can confirm that the field is not finalized. As in the past, we will release the full field in both the boys and girls draw once it is. Please keep in mind that the tournament is 36 boys and 24 girls; that has not changed." And the webpage had been taken down as of Monday evening with the link going to a page saying, "Registration is currently closed." The listed field also includes each of the top six players in Junior Golf Scoreboard's rankings: No. 1 Luke Colton, No. 2 Louis Klein, No. 3 Miles Russell, No. 4 Michael Riebe, No. 5 Tyler Watts and No. 6 Logan Reilly. Several international players in the top 150 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking are entered as well: No. 46 Nguyen Anh Minh, No. 105 Lev Grinberg, No. 126 Haoyi Wang and No. 142 Hugo Le Goff. Woods, 16, is ranked No. 713 on JGS. He qualified for his first U.S. Junior Amateur last summer before missing match play by 18 shots. His most notable win came last July at the South Florida PGA Junior Cup, which is ranked by WAGR. He also helped the Benjamin School to a state team title in 2023, a few months after winning a Hurricane Junior Tour event. There is also a 24-player women's division at Sage Valley, which is set to include nine of the top 10 players in JGS, including defending champ and No. 1 Asterisk Talley, as well as Kai Trump, the granddaughter of Presidents Donald Trump. Trump, 17, is ranked No. 2,342 in JGS and recently gave her verbal commitment to the University of Miami. She also has over 1 million YouTube subscribers and was announced over the weekend as having signed an endorsement deal with TaylorMade, which is a partner of the Junior Invitational and also counts Tiger Woods as an ambassador. Several past winners at Sage Valley, which held its first boys tournament in 2011, have gone on to play on the PGA Tour:Scottie Scheffler (2014), Joaquin Niemann (2017), Akshay Bhatia (2018), Austin Eckroat (2016), Carson Young (2012) and Aldrich Potgieter (2023). The girls event debuted in 2022 with Amalie Leth-Nissen and Anna Davis winning prior to Talley. This year's tournaments will mark the first time they are contested over 72 holes. BOYSTyler MawhinneyRonin BanerjeeWill HartmanHamilton ColemanTyler WattsHenry GuanJoshua BaiLuke ColtonLev GrinbergMason HowellCarson BertagnoleKartik SinghLouis KleinViggo Olsson MorkTrevor GutschewskiJackson ByrdMiles RussellMichael RiebeLe Khanh HungJoshua KimHugo Le GoffLogan ReillyRobby TurnbullOscar CouilleauThanawin LeeGiovanni BinaghiDan HayesNguyen Ang MinhPennson BadgettEvan PenaBowen MaussAidan LawsonBen BoltonRayhan LatiefJohn Daniel CulbrethHaoyi WangCharlie Woods GIRLSAmelie ZalsmanScarlett SchremmerNatalie YenJude LeeElizabeth RudisillAphrodite DengMia ClausenLouise Uma LandgrafHavanna TorstenssonGianna ClementeLuana Valero MoyanoAvery McCreryNikki OhAsterisk TalleySara BrentchenoffPimpisa RubrongAchiraya SriwongSarah HammettAlice KongSoomin OhSofia Cherif EssakaliYujie LiuYijia RenKai Trump
NBC Sports
17-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Charlie Woods in field for prestigious junior event near Augusta
Tiger Woods has won five Masters. His son, Charlie, is set to play in an elite tournament that is widely considered as junior golf's equivalent of the year's first major, the Junior Invitational at Sage Valley. According to the event's list of participants, which is available to players via a Golf Genius link and was obtained by Charlie Woods' name appears as the 37th and final participant for the March 19-22 tournament at Sage Valley Golf Club in Graniteville, South Carolina, which is not far from Augusta National. That field-size number is surprising considering the tournament usually boasts a 36-player, invitation-only field consisting of the top junior players in the world. The field also includes each of the top six players in Junior Golf Scoreboard's rankings: No. 1 Luke Colton, No. 2 Louis Klein, No. 3 Miles Russell, No. 4 Michael Riebe, No. 5 Tyler Watts and No. 6 Logan Reilly. Woods, 16, is ranked No. 713 on JGS. He qualified for his first U.S. Junior Amateur last summer before missing match play by 18 shots. His most notable win came on the Hurricane Junior Tour in June 2023 while he also helped the Benjamin School to a state team title later that year. There is also a 24-player women's division at Sage Valley, which is set to include nine of the top 10 players in JGS, including defending champ and No. 1 Asterisk Talley, as well as Kai Trump, the granddaughter of Presidents Donald Trump. Trump, 17, is ranked No. 2,342 in JGS and recently gave her verbal commitment to the University of Miami. She also has over 1 million YouTube subscribers and was announced over the weekend as having signed an endorsement deal with TaylorMade, which is a partner of the Junior Invitational and also counts Tiger Woods as an ambassador.
