Can Tiger Woods Help to Solve The Madness in Golf

By: Derek Clements | Mon 07 Aug 2023

Following the news that Tiger Woods has joined the PGA Tour's policy board as a player director, in his latest View From The Fairway, Derek Clements asks whether the 15-time major champion can become the deal broker that golf needs?

IT WAS instructive to hear Jon Rahm joining the dissenters in speaking out against the way that the PGA Tour has handled both the dispute with LIV and the proposed merger that is meant to bring about some kind of peace deal.

Rahm has accused the PGA Tour of creating division, which is pretty ironic when you consider that this is exactly what LIV Golf did when it began to court players and offer them vast sums of money to join the Saudi-backed golf league.

What I still cannot get my head around is the fact that Jay Monahan and his management team spoke with the powers behind LIV Golf and agreed a merger without first going back to their members to see whether what was being proposed was acceptable. And there’s the rub - even now, nobody seems to know quite what is being proposed.

Following LIV’s formation in 2022, the PGA Tour were in no mood to co-exist with the breakaway circuit, suspending any player who chose to make the Saudi switch.

The two circuits were locked in an ugly dispute for one year, before the PGA Tour made the shock announcement that they had reached an agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), that would see them work alongside their LIV rivals, as well as the DP World Tour.

Rory McIlroy was one of the first to announce that he felt he had been both betrayed and used by the PGA Tour. He was arguably the most outspoken critic of LIV Golf, going public on many occasions with his opposition for it and with his support for the PGA Tour.

And yet he only found out about the proposed peace deal in a phone call hours before it was made public.

A number of PGA Tour stars claimed to have been left in the dark by the agreement and on the negotiations since, and the latest to address the deal is Masters champion Rahm.

The Spanish star revealed he found out about the Tour’s PIF deal moments before it was revealed to the world, admitting he initially didn’t take the news seriously.

“Two minutes before the announcement came out someone from the PGA Tour contacted me and told me everything,” Rahm said. “I thought it was a joke.”

The Spaniard went on to claim that he felt this action should have been taken following the formation of LIV 12 months earlier, in a bid to avoid the division that was born out of the dispute.

Rahm added: “This is what they should have done from the beginning. Instead they generated division then decided to come together again.”

Following the Saudi-backed league’s formation last summer, the former world No. 1 was heavily linked with a move to the LIV setup, but instead opted to remain loyal to the PGA Tour.

“I laugh when people rumour me with LIV,” added Rahm. “I’ve never liked the format.”

Olympic champion Xander Schauffele also said before last month's Scottish Open that he and other players had lost a lot of trust in Monahan.

Tiger Woods

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

It is surely no coincidence that Tiger Woods has joined the tour’s policy board as a player director. This is designed to give players a bigger say in major decisions. Erm, shouldn’t that have happened BEFORE the merger announcement?

The 15-time major winner becomes the board's sixth player director, joining McIlroy and four others, and is clearly the most high profile.

"I am honoured to represent the players of the PGA Tour," said Woods, 47.

"This is a critical point for the Tour, and the players will do their best to make certain that any changes that are made in Tour operations are in the best interest of all Tour stakeholders, including fans, sponsors and players."

The players will work with Monahan to amend the policy board's governing documents so "no major decision can be made in the future without the prior involvement and approval of the player directors".

Woods joins McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson on the board.

In addition to the the six player directors, the other board members are five independent directors, and the PGA of America director.

The player directors will have full transparency and the authority to approve or decline any potential changes to the Tour as part of the Framework Agreement discussions.

Monahan, who stepped away from his position after suffering some health issues before returning, said: "I am committed to taking the necessary steps to restore any lost trust or confidence that occurred as a result of the surprise announcement of our Framework Agreement.

"My job in the negotiations - in partnership with our player directors, PAC (Player Advisory Council) and the broader membership - is to advocate for what is best for the PGA Tour members today and in the future.

"Any agreement we reach must be shaped by our members' input and approval earned through our player directors."

The Tour says 41 players have expressed support for the board changes, including McIlroy, Schauffele, Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Shane Lowry and Matt Fitzpatrick.

In truth, who was ever going to oppose the appointment of Woods? His fellow players can be absolutely certain that he will not be blindsided. And if he is, I wouldn’t like to be in Monahan’s shoes.