Tiger Woods finds himself at the centre of the saga between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, and will be involved in negotiations with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
Tiger Woods is set to be the sole player participating in the peace talks between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF). Discussions between the Tour and PIF have been ongoing since the surprising framework agreement was announced last June.
Currently, the two parties have not reached an agreement after failing to meet the December 31 deadline in 2023. The PGA Tour has selected five representatives to participate in the negotiations, with Woods being the sole player among them.
Additionally, Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the American-based circuit, will be present at the negotiation table, along with Joe Gorder, the policy board chairman, John Henry, the principal owner of Fenway Sports Group (FSG), and Joe Ogilvie, a former player who is now an economist.
Woods serves as a player director on the Tour’s policy board, a position previously held by his close friend and business partner Rory McIlroy until last November. However, McIlroy decided to step down from the board last winter due to the off-course politics between the Tour and LIV.
Now, six months later, McIlroy has expressed his desire to return in recent weeks. Unfortunately, it was revealed at the Wells Fargo Championship this week that his fellow players, including Woods, have chosen not to reappoint the four-time major winner. Golf Digest reports that the relationship between Woods and McIlroy has become strained due to their differing opinions on the current state of professional golf.
McIlroy has personally commented on the rejection he faced from his peers, as Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick were also reportedly opposed to the idea of him returning as a player director. “There have been numerous discussions,” stated the Northern Irishman earlier this week.
“It somewhat reminded me of why I chose not to [join the board]! I believe it became quite complex and messy, and the way it transpired seemed to reopen some old wounds and past issues. It appears that a certain group of individuals on the board were perhaps uneasy with my return for some undisclosed reason.”
I believe the best course of action is if there are some individuals who may not feel at ease with my return. The Guardian reported in April that Simpson was planning to step down from his position to make way for McIlroy’s return, but Simpson has now decided to stay.
“I think Webb has reached a point where he’s comfortable with that decision, and I’ll just continue with what I’m doing,” McIlroy stated. “I offered to assist, and while it wasn’t exactly rejected, the process to reinstate me was quite complex. Everything is okay, no hard feelings, and we will all move forward.”
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