Woods ‘paying attention’ to LIV as civil war with PGA Tour continues

Woods takes aim at LIV Golf defectors ahead of St Andrews Open

LIV Golf star Talor Gooch has opened up on a discussion with golfing great Tiger Woods at this month’s Masters, with the PGA Tour legend paying a keen interest in the Saudi-funded series. Woods has been one of LIV’s biggest critics since the breakaway formed last summer.

The Saudi-funded series lured in a whole host of big names from their PGA Tour rivals, including the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. Woods however remained loyal to the Tour in which he has won 82 career titles.

And in doing so acted almost as an unofficial mouthpiece for the PGA, criticising LIV and CEO Greg Norman across the past 12 months. As a result, Woods called on Norman to step down as LIV boss in order for the two tours to finally come to a resolution where they can both peacefully exist.

“Greg has to go,” the 15-time major champion claimed last November. “As Rory [McIlroy] said, I think Greg’s got to leave and then we can eventually, hopefully, have a stay between the two lawsuits and figure something out. But why would you change anything if you’ve got a lawsuit against you? They sued us first.

“I see that there’s an opportunity out there if both organisations put a stay on their litigation but that’s the problem, they’ve got to put a stay on it. I think it has to start with leadership on their side. Understanding that what is happening right now is not the best fit or future for the whole game of golf. Now, what is the best way for our game to grow? 

“It’s not this way. You need to have the two bodies come together. If one side has so much animosity, someone trying to destroy our tour, then how do you work with that?” Despite his opposition Woods has been keeping an eye on the rebel circuit, as noted by LIV star Gooch.

Detailing a conversation he had with the golfing great at this month’s Masters at Augusta National, he told the Fore the People podcast. “So at Augusta, one of the mornings I was warming up, Tiger was right next to me warming up. And he was like, man, you’re with Bubba [Watson]’s team now, right? And I was like, yeah. 

“He’s like, you all are going to Adelaide, right? I’m like, yeah. He goes, man, they got some great golf there. And then he’s, have you ever been to Singapore? I was like, man, first time. And he’s like, man, you need to go to the casino at Marina Bay Sands. It’s the famous hotel casino here; you’ve all seen it, for sure. It looks like there’s a boat on top of three towers. It’s this massive casino hotel.”

In response fellow pro John Peterson said: “I guarantee you, if you were to ask 95 percent of golf fans the week of the Masters where the LIV Tour was going the next two weeks in a row, there’s no way they would have been able to tell you Australia and Singapore. So Tiger’s paying attention. Tiger’s paying attention a little bit.”

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