Tiger Woods provides rare merger update and outlines PGA Tour plans to welcome back LIV Golf stars
Tiger Woods is back in action at this week’s Genesis Invitational, and ahead of his return the 15-time major champion discussed the ongoing saga surrounding the PGA Tour and LIV Golf
Tiger Woods has revealed the PGA Tour are looking at possible avenues to allow LIV Golf players to return to the American-based circuit in the future.
Those who choose to join the LIV have their PGA Tour membership suspended, with the exception of players such as Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and, most recently, John Rahm. However, after the PGA Tour announced it would end its contract with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) last season, Mickelson and others appear to be close to a comeback. Despite missing the original December 31 deadline and doubts growing over the proposed merger in recent weeks, the Tour has repeatedly said it will continue talks with PIF after ending its 2.4-year alliance last month billion with Sports Strategy Group (SSG).
Woods himself is a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy committee and asked LIV members what their options are for returning to the PGA Tour. “We’re looking at different models to come back,” said the 15-time champion from Los Angeles.
“We don’t have answers right now about what it will look like, how it will affect players who stay or who don’t, and how we can improve the product in the future. We are looking at completely different ideas at different levels and we don’t know what they will look like in the short term. We don’t even know what it will look like in the long run. “Believe me, there are emails and conversations every day and every week about this and what this is going to look like for our future tours.” Woods’ comments come two weeks after his close friend and business partner Rory McIlroy claimed he was a traitor. Players should be given a way to resume the tournament without penalty.
McIlroy, previously one of LIV’s biggest critics, said at Pebble Beach: “Guys chose to play LIV and guys chose to stay here. If people still fit into this tour and want to come back and hang out or see something, let them come back. I think it’s hard to punish people. I think there should be no punishment.
“Obviously I’ve changed my mind because I look at where golf is and I see the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour going down or it’s not good for both sides,” he added. “It will be much better to be together for the game and move forward together.”
However, not everyone agrees with McIlroy. Some of the PGA Tour’s biggest names have since spoken out against the LIV star’s free return, with Scotty Scheffler and Justin Thomas both saying the return should not come without a penalty.
