PGA Tour superstar Rory McIlroy was one of the professional golfers who had a chance to become an investor in the English soccer club, Leeds United. But he passed on the opportunity, according to BBC.
Fellow major champions Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth recently revealed their ownership stake in the former EPL club.
“They asked me if I wanted to come on board, and I was like, as a Man United fan, can’t go anywhere near that,” McIlroy said.
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Photo by John Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
He shared his interest to invest in Manchester United, if the opportunity presented itself. The Glazer family, who bought the 34-year-old’s favorite club in 2005 for $957 million, announced they were considering selling in November 2022.
“To be able to own even a tiny, tiny, tiny percentage of the club you grew up cheering on would be very cool,” McIlroy said.
Thomas and Spieth jumped on the opportunity to own part of Leeds United, but close friend Rickie Fowler also took a pass.
McIlroy recently invested in Formula 1 as a backer for the F1 Team Alpine as a backer.
“Sports stars are becoming more savvy and trying to use their money in the right way,” he said. “It’s always been something I followed. I think with the popularity of F1, how much it’s booming in the US in particular – and I have invested in a few things – but this has got more of a story and a journey.”
“It’s no surprise they went to market and got some investors in, but I think it stabilizes the team and gives them some confidence going forward.”
McIlroy is also at the forefront of the PIF and PGA Tour deal, where he sits on the PGA Tour Policy Board. He has been the poster child of the PGA Tour, defending them and taking a lot of heat from LIV Golf supporters.
Professional golf is the latest branch of sports that the Saudis want to invest in, along with the sport the four-time major winner just backed.
“F1 as a whole, they do it so well. Golf could learn quite a bit from F1 in terms of some of the set-up stuff and how they do things,” McIlroy said.
Unlike the PGA Tour, Formula 1 rejected the Saudi offer to buy global motorsports earlier this year.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
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