The PGA Tour tapped legendary golfer Tiger Woods to its board Tuesday, a move to apparently appease issues voiced by a growing number of tour members as the circuit heads into a controversial merger with LIV Golf, its upstart rival funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.
Tiger Woods is taking on a more active official role in golf's future.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, Woods said he “looks forward to being at the table” with PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan as the tour navigates its controversial marriage with a Saudi regime with a controversial human rights record.
Woods said he and the five other active golfers on the board, including world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, “will do their best to make certain that any changes that are made in Tour operations are in the best interest of all Tour stakeholders.”
The PGA Tour’s winningest golfer ever, Woods is also the sport’s only billionaire pro, earning the honor last year thanks to his more than $1.7 billion in endorsements, on-course winnings and other income, including his sponsorship by Nike. Woods’ billionaire status came even as he shunned massive guaranteed paydays from LIV that many of his peers took. After a brief but messy legal battle, the PGA Tour and LIV announced last month they’d combine to form a new fjoint venture, a shocking development that left PGA Tour loyalists like McIlroy stunned.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated…
PGA Tour Makes Concessions to Players Upset Over Pact With LIV’s Saudi Backers (Wall Street Journal)
Tiger Woods Officially A Billionaire, No Thanks To The Saudis (Forbes)