Tiger Woods says the potential return of LIV golfers to PGA Tour is a 'daily' conversation - “We’re looking at varying degrees of ideas”
Tiger Woods has claimed that there are conversations about LIV golfers' potential return to the PGA Tour. The PGA player director said that there are ‘daily’ conversations about it. Furthermore, the 15-times Major winner said that the circuit officials are "looking at varying degrees of ideas” for the possible movement.
Woods was speaking in a press conference ahead of The Genesis Invitational 2024 when he admitted that the circuit is considering scenarios of LIV players’ return. It is pertinent to note that the players, including Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm, lost their PGA Tour cards when they defected to the Saudi-backed series. According to Woods, the Jay Monahan-led traditional circuit is now considering possible changes in the future.
However, the 48-year-old added that the plan and the short-term and long-term effects of the same are yet to be developed.
Speaking on LIV Golfers’ potential pathway back to the PGA Tour, Tiger Woods said: (at 3:57)
"We're looking into all the different models for pathways back. What that looks like, what the impact is for the players who have stayed and who have not left and how we make our product better going forward, there is no answer to that right now."
We're looking at very different varying degrees of ideas. And what that looks like in the short term we don't know. We don't even know in the long term what that looks like. But trust me, there's daily weekly emails and talks about this and what this looks like for our tour going forward," he added.
Tiger Woods’ comment comes just weeks after Rory McIlroy called on the officials to let LIV golfers back on the PGA Tour without any punishment. The Northern Irishman, who resigned from the circuit’s board last year, said that the players have the freedom to choose where to play.
Tiger Woods' statement to PGA Tour members after Jon Rahm's defection
Tiger Woods was seemingly surprised by Jon Rahm's decision to join LIV Golf last December. Following the Spaniard’s defection announcement, Woods shared a joint statement from PGA Tour Player Directors detailing the changes brought to the circuit. The memo, sent out to all Tour representatives, also gave an update on the negotiations with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.
Woods took to his official X handle to share the two-page document, just hours after Rahm’s LIV announcement. The 82x PGA Tour winner tweeted that the circuit's player directors, including him, were working to unify the tour.
The memo, posted on Tiger Woods' X account, read:
"The Player Directors are united and all working together to represent the PGA Tour, the entire player membership, and best interests of the sport… Since Tiger joined the Policy Board on August 1st, the Player Directors have been doing everything we can to ensure the PGA Tour is best positioned to thrive for decades to come. We have learned a lot, and we are encouraged by progress on multiple fronts."
"Each of us has a unique experience playing on the PGA Tour. The diversity of the Player Directors reflects that reality. The ebbs and flows of our performance, the challenges we face and the opportunities we seize are what make our sport so dynamic. Despite our differences, there is so much more that unites us than ever before."
The statement, released to the public on December 8, wasn’t well received by the fans. Many dubbed it a vain attempt to stop more players from defecting to the PIF-funded series and said it came out ‘too late.’