Tiger Woods made his first public appearance since his Mother's passing, which prompted Woods to withdraw from the Genesis Invitational. The 15-time major winner joined CBS' coverage during the final round, expressed a ton of optimism toward the reunification of professional golf.
On February 6th, PGA Tour chairman Jay Monahan and player director Adam Scott made a substantial move toward finalizing the long-delayed Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) merger deal.
Since then, numerous stars and analysts have weighed in on the topic, but Woods remained silent until the final round of the Genesis Invitational Open, where Ludvig Aberg secured the title.
"I think we're in a very positive place right now," Woods said on the broadcast. "We had a meeting with the President. Unfortunately, I had some other circumstances that came up, but Jay and Adam did great during the meeting, and we have another subsequent meeting coming up."
"I think that things are going to heal quickly. We're going to get this game going in the right direction. It's been heading in the wrong direction for a number of years and the fans want all of us to play together, all the top players playing together and we're going to make that happen."
Those comments live on air prompted the question if Woods believed a deal could happen this year, or really soon.
"Yes, yes and yes," Tiger said boldly.
The golfing world was stunned on June 6, 2023 after news surfaced of the framework agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF, LIV Golf's benefactor. However, a self-imposed deadline at the end of that year came and passed without a pact in place.
Despite LIV Golf's struggles to gain traction in the ratings, they managed to peel off tons of top-level talent. Jon Rahm was the largest feather in their cap when he switched sides.
The division within the sport of golf has led to fans losing interest. PGA Tour ratings have also been down, and sponsors have been leaving. One way or another, the reunification of professional golf is essential for the sport.
Are you expecting an announcement of "one tour"? Share with us in the comments.
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About the writer
Devlina Sarkar is a Newsweek contributor based in New Delhi, India. Her focus and passion is all things golf, as ... Read more