LPGA Tour legend hopes TGL adds women in the future

TGL has thus far been exclusive to men who play on the PGA Tour. There have been no amateurs, no DP World Tour stars, no women from either the LPGA Tour or LET, and no LIV Golf members on the circuit. That may change in the future, and there are reportedly already some conversations about having women join.

LPGA star Michelle Wie West supports women in TGL

Michelle Wie West dreamed of one day being able to go head-to-head with the men in her sport. She wanted to compete against them, and while she didn’t really get that chance on the LPGA Tour, TGL might one day provide a pathway for that.

According to CNN, the golf league is reportedly looking at adding players, and they might open the door for women to join. “Truthfully, I wish the women had been involved from the get-go,” said Wie West. “But it’s great to hear they’re in the conversation. This would be really great for mixed-team events; I think the fans are yearning for it.”

Wie West is a co-owner of Los Angeles Golf Club, the team that stars Collin Morikawa, Justin Rose, Sahith Theegala, and Tommy Fleetwood. Alexis Ohanian, the husband of Serena Williams and co-owner of a different TGL team, also supports her idea.

“It shouldn’t surprise you that when I first took this pitch, my first question to the Tiger team was, ‘When are you doing it with the LPGA?’ I was like, ‘Girl dad of two, I know these athletes are undervalued right now, they’re underexposed,’” he revealed. “I’m not making any news here, but I’ll just say that when I invested, it was on the condition that I get a women’s team as well. I’m very bullish on women.”

Ultimately, Ohanian believes the golf course is a great equalizer between men and women and believes the tech-based league would do an even better job at that. “The golf clips that go viral are often the short game. When you look at the differences in men’s and women’s golf, a lot of the biological differences disappear on the green,” he said.

He envisions viral moments of Tiger Woods high-fiving Nelly Korda, things that couldn’t ordinarily happen in golf right now. There are some mixed events like the Grant Thornton Invitational, but TGL has a special opportunity to corner the market on it.