Centroid Investment Partners

What does Centroid Investment Partners own?

The firm's principal holding is TaylorMade Golf Company, held through a special purpose vehicle, plus a portfolio of Korean mid-market investments. The TaylorMade stake is under an agreed sale process as of November 2026.

Is Centroid Investment Partners publicly traded?

No. Centroid is a private partnership owned by its founding partners and employees. It raises capital through project funds rather than issuing public shares.

Who founded Centroid Investment Partners?

Chung Jin-hyeok founded the firm in 2015. It was a young mid-market Korean private equity house when it won the TaylorMade auction in 2021.

Where is Centroid Investment Partners headquartered?

The firm is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, operating from the city's financial district.

Does Centroid still own TaylorMade?

Yes, as of November 2026. Centroid remains the owner while completing a sale process: an Entrada Partners and Dave Checketts consortium is the preferred bidder at roughly $2.5 billion, with F&F exercising due diligence on its right of first refusal before the deal can close.

What is the TaylorMade sale price?

Reporting in October and November 2026 places the expected transaction at approximately $2.5 billion, or about 3.8 trillion won, for 100 percent of the equity held by Centroid's special purpose vehicle.

Chung Jin-hyeok founded Centroid in 2015 in Seoul's financial district. The firm spent its first years building a track record in Korean mid-market buyouts, a segment dominated domestically by larger houses such as MBK Partners and IMM Private Equity.

Its breakthrough came in May 2021, when Centroid agreed to acquire TaylorMade Golf Company from KPS Capital Partners for approximately 2.1 trillion won, roughly $1.7 to 1.8 billion at prevailing exchange rates. KPS had bought the company from Adidas in 2017 for $425 million, making the sale one of the most profitable flips in consumer private equity.

The purchase was structured through a special purpose vehicle backed by a project fund. Korean fashion company F&F joined as the largest strategic investor, contributing about 500 billion won and securing a right of first refusal on any future sale. That clause would later prove decisive in shaping the exit.

Under Centroid, TaylorMade invested in product lines including the Qi-series drivers and expanded into apparel through the 2024 launch of Sun Day Red, the standalone brand created with Tiger Woods. The company's performance supported a steadily rising valuation, and by 2024 Centroid began exploring an exit.

The sale process ran through two phases. A first auction in 2025 selected Old Tom Capital as preferred bidder at roughly $3.2 billion, but that deal collapsed when the buyer failed to secure financing. Centroid relaunched the process in 2026 with JPMorgan and Jefferies as advisors, naming a consortium of Entrada Partners and sports executive Dave Checketts as preferred bidder in July 2026 at a price near $2.5 billion.

Signing has been slower than expected, delayed by won-dollar exchange-rate movements and financing diligence. In October 2026, F&F began formal due diligence on exercising its right of first refusal, with a decision window expected to close in late November 2026. Singapore's Sylvan Group, backed by China's Reignwood Group, has also explored a rival bid. As of mid-November 2026, no definitive agreement had been signed.