Liverpool owner John W Henry and FSG recently struck a huge deal with the PGA Tour and a meeting with golfers including Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods saw him win them over
John W Henry is now heavily involved in golf’s PGA Tour as well as Liverpool(Image: 2024 AMA Sports Photo Agency/Getty Images)
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John W Henry has plenty of involvement in the world of sports. Of course, he is the principal owner of Liverpool, but he also counts the Boston Red Sox and Pittsburgh Penguins among his vast portfolio.
The latest move he has made in the world of sports has seen Henry venture into golf. Earlier this year, a portfolio led by Fenway Sports Group (FSG) struck a $3 billion deal with the PGA Tour. It saw them take on a minority share in a new PGA company, which allows professional golfers to hold ownership stakes in a bid to address the chaos caused by the launch of LIV Golf and subsequent civil war engulfing the sport.
The shake-up saw the creation of a new board on the PGA Tour, featuring Henry as one of four representatives from the Strategic Sports Group (SSG). They are joined by various players, including Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay and Jordan Spieth.
Details have now emerged via the Financial Times regarding the early stages of the new partnership, which came at a time when professional golf has been extremely fractured. On November 9, with the deal still in the works, Henry and his fellow SSG investors were invited to Tiger Woods’ offices in Jupiter, Florida.
It’s claimed that Woods was joined at the meeting by fellow players including Rory McIlory and Patrick Cantlay, with several other players tuned in via Zoom and Henry joined by wife Linda, fellow FSG executives Tom Werner and Sam Kennedy, plus Arthur Blank and Andy Cohen.
While it was a meeting not guaranteed to have success, it’s been claimed that Henry was able to win over the players, which included powerful duo Woods and McIlroy. It’s reported he was keen to hear out the concerns of players, many of whom had turned down huge offers from LIV Golf to stay with the PGA Tour prior to the two parties agreeing a framework agreement to merge.