Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas join 49ers in owning UK soccer club Leeds United

SANTA CLARA — Golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas are set to become minority owners of English soccer club Leeds United, Spieth told Sky Sports on Wednesday.

Spieth and Thomas are investing in the San Francisco 49ers’ ownership group, 49ers Enterprises, which is in the process of taking over Leeds after its relegation from the Premier League to the second-tier Championship for next season.

Spieth said fellow PGA Tour player Rickie Fowler decided against investing after Leeds was relegated.

A message left with the 49ers on Wednesday wasn’t immediately returned.

“Relegation wasn’t ideal,” Spieth said, “but we got involved with the 49ers group about purchasing a larger share and getting in with them doing 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, great venue in Elland Road, and once we looked into it we realized it could be really exciting.”

The 49ers’ ownership group first invested in Leeds in 2018 and increased its share to 44% in late 2021. The NFL club last month reached an agreement to take over Leeds with NBA players Larry Nance Jr. and T.J. McConnell joining as minority partners.

Leeds didn’t specify the sale price for the remaining 56% but British media reported it to be 170 million pounds ($214 million).

Spieth and Thomas are longtime friends. Spieth is a three-time major champion and Thomas has two major titles. Both are in Britain for this week’s Scottish Open and next week’s British Open at Royal Liverpool.