Tiger Woods turned down $700-$800 million to join LIV Golf tour
doubledragon
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Greg Norman recently revealed that Tiger Woods turned down $700-$800 million to join the Saudi backed LIV Golf tour.
Norman said the offer was made before the Australian was named chief of the controversial series, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.
"That number was out there before I became CEO. So that number has been out there, yes," two-times major winner Norman said in an interview that aired on Monday night.
"Look, Tiger is a needle mover, right? So, of course you're got to look at the best of the best. They had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO. That number is somewhere in that ($700-800 million) neighbourhood."
LIV Golf has signed several marquee players for the series, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, but 15-times major champion Woods has stayed committed to the PGA Tour.
Former world number one Woods said before last month's British Open that he disagreed with the decision by players to join the LIV Series and compared the circuit, which features huge guaranteed contracts and a 54-hole format, to the senior Champions Tour.
"I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position," he said.
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Phil Mickelson used to be such a beloved golfer, now he's getting heckled.
https://www.golfwrx.com/689558/phil-mickelson-brutally-heckled-on-opening-hole-of-latest-liv-event/
I saw that interview last night. whooo hooo that is a lot of cash.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
You've got to be pretty bored to watch golf on the boob tube. Nothing like watching grass grow. Or a tennis match..
From 1968 - 1969
Professionals' split was a good thing for the game.
Forty years ago, it was considered by some a risky move for the guys who play professional golf to break away from the group created for golf professionals.
That's when a small percentage of players from the PGA of America ceded from the union and formed the Tournament Players Division, which eventually became the PGA TOUR.
The difference is more than just semantics. There are two distinct groups of professionals involved. There are professional golfers, guys you see every week on television, the ones who draw big galleries and make lots of money.
And there are golf professionals, guys who work hard at your neighborhood country club or municipal course, labor long and hard in relative anonymity and aren't paid nearly as much as they deserve.
Both groups are passionate about the world's greatest game; they just direct their energy in different directions. It was only practical that the two sides would eventually take different paths.
But instead of one side growing stronger at the expense of the other, each group has become more robust. The PGA of America and the PGA TOUR are both flourishing today. In fact, both are probably stronger as a result of the breakup, sort of like Sean Penn is better off today because he split up with Madonna.
The golf breakup occurred largely because of the influx of money that television had started to pump into the game. The top players (Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer among them) wanted to use the additional TV money to pump up the purses.
The PGA of America wanted to put the money in the general fund. That's when the compromise was reached, with the golf professionals and the professional golfers going their separate ways.
The PGA of America wasn't hurt, because the game's best players continued to play in the PGA Championship. And with the top players running off to chase the big money, the regular PGA member was better able to compete on the state and sectional level.
The PGA of America was able to go about accomplishing the task for which it was created: Growing the game. They did it through several smart moves, among them buying the rights to host the PGA Fall Expo golf show, purchasing the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, opening three 18-hole courses in Port St. Lucie, Fla., and creating a 35-acre state-of-the-art practice facility.
The PGA of America still has its toe in the water of big-time tournament golf, with the PGA Championship, the Senior PGA Championship, the PGA Grand Slam, and the Ryder Cup, the greatest of all golf competitions. Whoever decided to keep control of the Ryder Cup in the hands of the PGA of America should be granted sainthood or at least have a trophy named in their honor.
The guys who broke away have done pretty well, too. The PGA TOUR, so christened in 1975, is the most influential organization in tournament golf. The TOUR hosts 47 events with more than $278 million in prize money.
Good for him!
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Tiger Woods has a 10-figure net worth; he does not need an extra $700-800 M that would do nothing except tarnish his legacy. if Tiger had accepted that offer, the PGA Tour would cease to exist as we know it. and he knows that. it's not about money with him..........never has been.
check out this 1996 interview with Curtis Strange just before his first pro event. it's one of the most classic clips you'll ever watch. does Tiger sound like a kid you could pay off down the line? and as far as the things Strange said to him.............yeah those comments didn't age very well. someone learned all right.
edit: btw, this youtuber attached "Tiger Woods gets schooled by Curtis Strange in 1996" to this vid. not sure what school that guy went to, but i'm fairly certain he didn't graduate.
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
@galaxy27 I am a what true golf fans might call a "casual". My days of keeping up with all of the players are behind me. I have literally never struck a golf ball in a golf setting not considered "miniature". But I watched a lot when I was growing up.
My favorite was Tom Watson, believe it or not. For some reason I latched my rooting interest back in the 80s onto him. Then came the time in 1997 when a 21 year old thisistheshow, having moved back into Mom's house in Massachusetts and not having much to do, spent four days watching a guy he had heard a lot about win his first Masters. I still remember the feel of being on the couch and by the third day REALLY getting into it. After that I was a Tiger fan for life and watched all the golf I could if he was there. Watching Tiger win that most recent Masters was very surreal, sitting on my own couch in Texas, the experience seeming to bookend a certain time of my life. I'm sure many others experienced a similar feeling.
These days I'm a very casual fan. My point of all of this is to say that I am not super dialed in to the pulse of "golf nation" and I would like some insight.
I went to the link above and then saw a follow-up. It seems the heckler was a lone-actor. The article mentions one dollar tickets on Stub Hub and limited interest. What has been the reaction to and the engagement with this new tour from die-hard golf fans? What is your take on the true feelings within the players' community and how do you see all of this playing out short and long term? ... no pressure, take your time
Edited for small error
Why is it blood money? Shouldn't we treat companies that do business in Saudi Arabia the same as golfers that take money from them?
The Saudi Public Investment Fund invests in a lot of things outside of LIV Golf, why don't we treat NewCastle United and their players the same way?? Or for that matter, anyone outside of Saudi Arabia that benefits from investments by PIV? Seems like a double standard to only target golfers and those associated with LIV Golf.
Robb
i'd lump myself in the die-hard category. i hit up a handful of tournaments every year and watch just about other tour stop on television. not to mention i do a ton of reading to keep up with the pulse of the sport. that said....
...at the present time, i personally have little to no interest in LIV tournaments. this rebel league does not have a television contract (yet), but you're able to stream the action for free on sites like youtube. i watched one tournament for about half an hour and felt very little. that was probably because my mind was in overdrive the entire time -- i couldn't really enjoy what i was watching when deep down i knew that what i was witnessing was in essence a schism that was going to forever change the sport. and i say forever because LIV is being financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, which is valued at $620 billion. it's going to be a permanent fixture.
as a further matter, the format is completely different from a PGA Tour event or a major. they only play 54 holes, there's a team concept, and it's a shotgun start (instead of groups going off #1 and -- sometimes -- #10 consecutively, players are spread out all over the course on different holes and play commences all at once). it's very different.
depends on what player you ask. if it's someone past his prime, or someone whose game has suffered due to injuries, or someone who simply doesn't have what it takes to ascend the hierarchy of the PGA Tour, then an invitation to join LIV is tantamount to winning the lottery. Pat Perez is a 46-year-old who has basically been grinding on tour for about a quarter century. he has won a few times (i think 3), but unless you follow the sport intently you have no idea who this guy is. well, LIV reportedly gave him $10 million to come join forces with them. Pat Perez. $10 million. i'm sure he couldn't sign that contract fast enough.
but if you were to broach the subject with any player who is entrenched with the PGA Tour, i'm sure they are very worried. the PGA Tour has a lot of money, but it's chump change compared to a $620 billion fund that can be tapped into at any time. LIV is literally buying players in a hostile takeover attempt. they gave $200 million up front to a 52-year-old with eroding skills. that player's name? Phil Mickelson. it's illogical, and it's absurd. but when you realize that the Saudis aren't concerned about ROI, the picture becomes a little clearer. they are simply doing it because they want to, and because they can. many believe it's an attempt to "sportswash" their human rights atrocities, as well as a move to buy prominence on a world stage.
i liken LIV to a tropical depression that has formed off the coast of Africa. it's small, but it's quickly gaining strength and conditions are ripe for further strengthening. by the time it reaches the 48 contiguous states, it may very well be a Cat 5. right now the only players who have jumped ship are ones who can be placed in the aforementioned categories. to this point, LIV has been unable to wrestle away a young stud. not if, but when that happens, it'll be like a levee breach. the PGA Tour cannot afford to lose 20-somethings and early 30-somethings who have won majors and are going to be the face of the tour for years to come. if the best of the best leave, who will be left? it's on the verge of getting very serious, and that's why the PGA Tour "miraculously" came up with a truckload of extra cash to bolster tournament purses. but it may already be too late. i said before that i felt Jay Monahan (the commish) made a grave error by not taking this threat seriously. he reacted when i felt he should have anticipated.
i obviously don't know what the future holds. i can speculate, but i'd rather not because i struggle to come up with a positive outcome for golf.
if you have anymore questions, i'm busy. i kid. i'll do my best to make this fluid situation more lucid.
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
@galaxy27 I know you are well-entrenched, which is why I asked you. I remember when the USFL started up in the 80s. They actually had the money to get some of the top college guys. My limited knowledge of this situation makes me think that guys like Phil will technically be allowed to compete on the PGA tour also but younger guys, if they go LIV, will not. Do you, or does anyone, foresee a scenario where all or most of the best young talent is taken away? Am I right in thinking that Phil would have a "lifetime" PGA membership while many young guys wouldn't?
The bulk of the tournaments is run by the PGA Tour. The weekly non majors and the Fed Ex Cup.
Then you have the majors:
Masters - run by Augusta National as an invitational.
PGA Championship - run by the PGA of America (who used to run golf prior to 1969)
US Open - run by the USGA ( rules of golf in US) and handicap system and 14 national championships for pros and amateurs.
The Open - is run by the R&A (Royal and Ancient) European version of the USGA.
The PGA Tour started the "fifth" major call The Players Championship.
To play on the PGA tour, you have to have earned a players membership card. Other ways to play is a Monday qualifier (limited open spots) and to get a sponsor's exemption (usually 8 given by the major sponsors, who usually give to a big name that did not qualify or local favorites.) When Michelle Wie played a couple tournaments, she was given sponsor exemptions at Sony in Hawaii and at the John Deere in Silvis Illinois.
Prior golf breakups (over who controls the $):
With an increase of revenue in the late 1960s due to expanded television coverage, a dispute arose between the touring professionals and the PGA of America on how to distribute the windfall. The tour players wanted larger purses, where the PGA desired the money to go to the general fund to help grow the game at the local level. Following the final major in July 1968 at the PGA Championship, several leading tour pros voiced their dissatisfaction with the venue and the abundance of club pros in the field. The increased friction resulted in a new entity in August, what would eventually become the PGA Tour. Tournament players formed their own organization, American Professional Golfers, Inc. (APG), independent of the PGA of America.
After several months, a compromise was reached in December: the tour players agreed to abolish the APG and form the PGA "Tournament Players Division", a fully autonomous division under the supervision of a new 10-member Tournament Policy Board. The board consisted of four tour players, three PGA of America executives, and three outside members, initially business executives.
Joseph Dey, the recently retired USGA executive director, was selected by the board as the tour's first commissioner in January 1969 and agreed to a five-year contract. He was succeeded by tour player Deane Beman in early 1974, who served for twenty years. The name officially changed to the "PGA Tour" in 1975. In 1978 the PGA Tour "removed its restrictions on women." However, no women have joined the tour since this date.
currently, any player who defects to LIV loses his tour privileges the moment he hits a shot in an LIV tourney. so no, Phil can no longer play in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event. but as fonzarelli stated, the PGA Tour doesn't run the major tournaments. ANGC, the PGA of America, the USGA, and the R&A want to put on display the best possible fields above and beyond anything else, and that's why the LIV guys were allowed to participate this year.......if they qualified.
how this shakes out next year and beyond is once again anyone's guess. no doubt there's lengthy litigation on the horizon to determine if the PGA Tour can continue to flex, or if these guys are truly considered independent contractors and thus are able to pick and choose where they would like to play.
you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet
Thanks guys, that clears some things up for me.
Let's mellow out on blasting entire countries. It is not acceptable and nothing good will come from it. There are good and bad people from everywhere.