PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas share a joke as they walk down a fairway during a practice round for The Players Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on May 10, 2016. | Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
It was previously reported that Spieth, Thomas and Fowler all went in on Leeds United. That does not appear to be entirely the case.
Leeds United of the English Premier League was one of three teams recently relegated back to the English Championship League at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Amidst their disappointing season, Rickie Fowler decided to pull out of his minority investment within the club.
Jordan Spieth revealed the news to Sky Sports before the Genesis Scottish Open Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Spieth and Justin Thomas will continue as minority owners of Leeds United, despite relegation.
“Relegation wasn’t ideal,” Spieth said. “But we got involved with the 49ers group about purchasing a larger share and getting in with them. [They have] done things so successfully as they do everywhere they’ve touched.
“We thought it would be a cool opportunity. It’s a big city, historic club, a great venue in Elland Road, and once we looked into it, we realized it could be really exciting.”
The San Francisco 49ers are owned by the York Family, who first made a minority investment in Leeds United in 2018.
Per The Athletic, the 49ers ownership group purchased the remainder of the controlling interest of the club for £170 million or $213 million.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
LEEDS, England — General view during the Premier League match between Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur at Elland Road on May 28, 2023.
Had Leeds United stayed in the top flight of English soccer, that price likely would have ballooned to $500 million.
But the York family and two of the most recognizable PGA Tour players are not the only notable Americans investing in European soccer teams.
Stan Kroenke, who owns the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Avalanche, also is the owner and co-chairman of Arsenal F.C., one of the most famous teams in the world.
The owners of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Glazer family, also own and operate Manchester United, one of the most recognizable clubs worldwide.
Actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchased the oldest club in Wales, Wrexham A.F.C., in 2020. The two celebrities have since started a television series fixated on the small Welsh club.
Now the York Family, along with Spieth and Thomas, will own Leeds United going forward.
Perhaps Fowler will regret his decision to pull out as an investor should Leeds United return to the Premier League in 2024.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
