Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is never one to shy away from a bit of serious investment and the billionaire businessman could be about to try his hand in yet another sport. The 50-year-old took charge at Stamford Bridge in 2022 and has gone on to spend over £1 billion on player transfer and loan fees. The eye-watering sum has not bared much fruit so far, with the West London outfit currently 10th in the Premier League table and out of European competition this season.
However, that is not likely to prevent tycoon Boehly from whipping out the chequebook for another investment opportunity when it is presented to him. And his next move could be in the lucrative but currently uncertain world of elite men’s golf.
The PGA Tour has been locked in negotiations with breakaway rival LIV Golf ever since legal action between the two warring operations was dropped in June in favour of a ‘framework agreement’ to work together as one entity alongside the DP World Tour.
The bombshell announcement, which was made by the PGA Tour’s Chief Commissioner Jay Monahan, rocked the sport with loyal PGA Tour players left fuming that they had not been consulted on the merger before an announcement was made.
However, a deadline to ratify the agreement by December 31 is fast approaching and as of yet there is no clear indication that a deal can be done between the three tours. As a result, other players are now looking to invest and according to reports, both Boehly and Liverpool FC owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG) are among them.
Golf journalist Alan Shipnuck has previously claimed that FSG will make a ‘monster bid’ and now ESPN is reporting (as per Golfweek) that Boehly is ready to join the race through his holding company Eldridge Industries.
FSG and Eldridge are named in a shortlist of five potential investors that also include Liberty Strategic Capital, Acorn Growth Company and the Saudi-based Private Investment Fund (PIF) which owns LIV Golf. A group of private investors simply known as ‘Friends of Golf’ are also still in the picture.
Depending on how negotiations go from here, Boehly could find himself either competing against Liverpool’s owners for a stake in the PGA Tour or working alongside them, perhaps also with LIV Golf owners PIF.
Should the Chelsea chief end up in cahoots with cahoots would be doing so despite Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp having publicly mocked the billionaire for suggesting that the Premier League should play an All-Stars game shortly after taking control of Chelsea.
Reacting to the suggestion after Liverpool beat Ajax in last season’s Champions League Group Stage, Klopp said: “He [Boehly] doesn’t wait long. Great. When he finds a date for that, he can call me. Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well and let them play against a football team?”
