LIV Golf heads back to where it all began this week, as its annual event in the United Kingdom takes place at JCB Golf and Country Club in Rochester, England.
The Saudi-backed league’s inaugural event took place in England back in 2022, as Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead welcomed some of golf’s biggest names. Since LIV launched three years ago, it’s persuaded the likes of Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, and Brooks Koepka to sign up.
Yet one player who refused to join LIV was Tiger Woods. The golf icon was approached by Greg Norman, who was LIV’s CEO back in 2022, about joining the breakaway series.
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Norman recognized Woods’ reputation as the most popular golfer on the planet. Woods, a 15-time major champion, has won a staggering 82 PGA Tour titles during his career, with only Sam Snead achieving as many victories on North America’s premier circuit.
Woods has also won 15 major titles, with only Jack Nicklaus clinching more (18). Yet it’s the swashbuckling and fearless way that Woods plays the game that makes him such a popular figure in golf; the veteran never knows when he’s beaten.
Woods inspired a generation with his greatness, becoming Rory McIlroy’s childhood hero, so it’s no surprise that Norman wanted him at LIV. Norman, a two-time major winner himself, revealed his offer to Woods when LIV launched three years ago.
“Mind-blowingly enormous,” Norman said about the size of his offer to Woods. “We’re talking about high nine digits.”
Yet Woods had no interest in joining LIV and following in Mickelson’s footsteps. For years, Woods and Mickelson were the two dominant forces in the game, boasting the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the Official World Golf Ranking, respectively.
“He has his opinion on where he sees the game of golf going,” said Woods when asked about joining Mickelson at LIV.
“I have my viewpoint, how I see the game of golf. I’ve supported the Tour, and my foundation has run events on the Tour for a number of years. I just think that what Jack (Nicklaus) and Arnold (Palmer) have done in starting the Tour, breaking away from the PGA of America, and creating our tour in 1968… I just think there’s a legacy to that.
“I’ve been playing out here for a couple of decades, and I think there’s a legacy to it. I still think that the Tour has so much to offer, so much opportunity.
“I understand different viewpoints, but I believe in legacies. I believe in major championships. I believe in big events, comparisons to historical figures of the past. There’s plenty of money out here. The Tour is growing.
“But it’s just like any other sport. It’s like tennis. You have to go out there and earn it. You’ve got to go out there and play for it. We have opportunity to go ahead and do it. It’s just not guaranteed up front.”
Woods has proven his loyalty to the PGA Tour since LIV’s launch by joining the PGA Tour’s Policy Board in 2023 and playing a direct role in talks over a merger between the tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the financial backers of LIV.
As it stands, a merger is yet to be finalized. But if it’s completed, it’s expected to end the civil war that’s raged in men’s professional golf since LIV’s launch in 2022.
