Tiger Woods, the 15-time major winner, said on Tuesday that he was “frustrated” that players did not participate in discussions between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) ahead of the announcement of a framework agreement.
The PGA Tour, the Europe-based DP World Tour and the PIF-backed LIV Golf Circuit are merging in June after more than a year of bitter legal battles to pursue a larger commercial venture.
We agreed.
The deal took the golf world by surprise and raised concerns in Washington about Saudi Arabia’s role in the deal and the risks posed by a foreign government taking control of the game.
Critics have accused the PIF of being a means to improve the country’s reputation or of engaging in “sports laundering,” which has faced criticism over its human rights record.
Deadline 31st December
The framework agreement expires on 13th December. Woods said he had “multiple options” but hoped to reach a deal by the end of the year.
“My reaction was one of surprise, and I think a lot of players were surprised,” said Woods, who will compete in the Hero World Challenge this week for the first time since undergoing ankle surgery in April.
“It was so quick, no input, no information, just thrown away. I was so surprised that the process was like that.
“We were very frustrated by what happened. We have taken steps to move forward.” Make sure we don’t get left out of the process in the same way. Part of that process included putting me on the board.
Woods joined the PGA Tour’s policy board as player director in August.
The 47-year-old, who has played a limited schedule since suffering serious leg injuries in a 2021 car crash, also said he would keep playing until he feels that he can no longer be in contention for titles.
“My game feels rusty. I haven’t played in a while,” he added. “There will come a time when I can no longer win. When that time comes, I will walk away.”
Woods won the unofficial Hero World Challenge tournament held in the Bahamas five times between 2001 and 2011. This tournament was organized by him for the benefit of his foundation.
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