Rory McIlroy said recently that he does not believe the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will be able to work through their differences as long as Greg Norman remains in charge of the Saudi-backed league, and Tiger Woods agrees.
Woods, who withdrew from the Hero World Challenge this week due to a new injury, was asked on Tuesday if he believes the PGA Tour and LIV Golf can coexist. He said he does not think that can happen as long as Norman is CEO.
“Right now as it is, not right now, not with their leadership, not with Greg there and his animosity towards the tour itself,” Woods said, via ESPN’s Mark Schlabach. “I don’t see that happening. As Rory said, and I said it as well, I think Greg’s got to leave and then we can eventually, hopefully, have a stay between the two lawsuits and figure something out. But why would you change anything if you’ve got a lawsuit against you? They sued us first.”
LIV Golf and several golfers filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour earlier this year, claiming the PGA Tour illegally suspended them. The PGA Tour then filed a countersuit claiming LIV Golf has interfered with contracts it had with its existing members.
One of the many shots Norman has taken at the PGA Tour came over the summer when the tour announced sweeping changes that will allow top players to earn more money. Norman accused PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan of following LIV’s lead. The 67-year-old later said McIlroy, Woods and others should be “thankful” LIV has given them the opportunity to earn more money on their own tour.
A recent report claimed LIV is pursuing a well-known CEO to help steward the league for the next few years.
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