Rory McIlroy hailed the influence of “hero” Tiger Woods after the 15-time Major champion met fellow PGA Tour players to discuss the controversial LIV Golf tournament.
The eight-event LIV series, which offers $255m in prize money and is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has shaken the sport to its core with the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Bubba Watson among the high-profile names to have signed on.
Woods, who returned to action in 2022 after a 17-month absence following a car crash in February 2021, turned down an offer in the region of $700m-$800m to join the breakaway circuit, according to its CEO Greg Norman.
Woods attended the meeting of PGA Tour players on the sidelines of the BMW Championship in Delaware despite not qualifying for this week’s second FedEx Cup playoff event.
“I think it shows how much he cares about the Tour,” four-time Major winner McIlroy told reporters. “I think it shows how much he cares about the players that are coming through and are going to be the next generation.
“He is the hero we’ve all looked up to. His voice carries further than anyone else’s in the game of golf. His role is navigating us to a place where we all think we should be. I think it’s pretty apparent that whenever we all get in the room there’s an alpha in there, and it’s not me.”
Players participating in LIV Golf events have been suspended by the PGA Tour and sanctioned by Europe’s DP World Tour.
Mickelson and 10 other players filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour in August, alleging that it broke antitrust law by refusing to let them participate in the US-based Tour.
“I think the one thing that came out of it, which was the purpose, is all the top players on this Tour are in agreement and alignment of where we should go going forward, and that was awesome,” McIlroy said.
“We need to get the top guys together more often than we do.”
Reuters
