Tiger Woods reportedly turned down an offer of around US$700-800 million to join the Saudi-funded LIV golf circuit.
Posted at 8:38
During an appearance on a show presented on Monday evening, Greg Norman confirmed what he had told the washington post in an article published two months ago. Norman told the newspaper that the offer was “incredibly huge; we’re talking in the high nines”.
Woods has opposed the LIV Tour since the end of last year and he shared his strongest comments at the British Open, when he said players who took money funded by the sovereign wealth fund Saudi Arabia had “turned their backs” on the PGA Tour that had made them famous.
It is unclear when Woods received the offer.
“This offer was on the table before I became president and CEO of the circuit,” Norman said at the third LIV circuit event in New Jersey. Tiger is a big name player and obviously you have to watch the best players. They had approached Tiger before I was CEO. The offer was in those surroundings on a monetary level. »
Several reports out of the UK said that Phil Mickelson received a signing bonus of 200 million, while Dustin Johnson received 150 million. The tournaments of 48 players, disputed on 54 holes without cut, offer 25 million in purse during each event. Norman has announced a 14-tournament schedule for next year.
The LIV circuit currently has only one player in the top 20 in the world, Johnson, at 18e rank.
The source of the funding has led to heavy criticism from the Tour and the golfers associated with it, as it is seen as an attempt to distract from its human rights record and ties to the terrorist attacks of September 11.
When asked why his rival PGA Tour had caused such an outcry among American golf fans, Norman simply replied that he “didn’t know”.
“I don’t care,” Norman said. I simply love sport and I want to develop it. At the LIV circuit, we see this opportunity not only for the men, but also for the women. »
The LIV Tour is halted for a month during the FedEx Cup Qualifiers, on the PGA Tour. He’ll be back over Labor Day weekend, about an hour west of Boston. Two weeks later, he will be in the suburbs of Chicago.