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JAMM AQUINO / 2014
Michelle Wie hits at the LPGA Lotte Championship at Koolina Golf Club.
Retired LPGA golfer Michelle Wie West said she was shocked at the partnership deal made between the PGA Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
“We just don’t have the right amount of information to make a decision on it,” said Wie West, a Punahou graduate. “Players needed to have the loudest voice and I think unfortunately in this situation that wasn’t the case. It’s going to take the next couple months to figure out how exactly this is going to play out.”
Wie West sat alongside Mark Patricof, the founder of Patricof Co., an athlete investment and advisory platform, at the Bloomberg Invest conference today. Aside from the former LPGA golfer, Patricof advises athletes such as Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin and J.J. Watt.
“Thought leadership should come from people who actually build the sport,” Patricof said. “I like it when I see Tom Brady buying into the Raiders or Dwyane Wade taking a stake in the Jazz. I do want to see more of that because I think it makes the sport more authentic.”
Other athlete investors in sports franchises include LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes, Kevin Durant and Serena and Venus Williams.
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