Tiger Woods Affiliate Emerges as PGA Tour CEO Frontrunner

Sources close to the PGA Tour have named NASCAR Commissioner Steve Phelps and TaylorMade President and CEO David Abeles as candidates. Abeles has a long history with Tiger Woods, dating back to 2017 when the golf legend inked a contract with the sporting equipment company. The pair also came together when Woods debuted his Sun Day Red clothing brand.

Phelps joined NASCAR in 2005 and was named Chief Operating Officer by 2018. He was instrumental in negotiating NASCAR's media rights deal in 2023, which netted a seven-year deal worth $7.7 billion.

Woods has been a guiding voice in the PGA's mission to distance itself from the influence of LIV Golf, financed by the Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. LIV refers to Roman numerals, meaning 54, which is the number of holes played at LIV events.

SSG is a group of sports investors with deep connections to private equity. The group includes several big names in the sports world, like Arthur Blank, the billionaire founder of Home Depot and owner of the Atlanta Falcons, and Steve Cohen, another billionaire who earned his money through a hedge fund and owns the New York Mets.

Through this investment, the PGA will be able to continue to pay the high-priced players on the tour who've seen their salaries explode in the last 30 years as the sport's popularity widened under the golden years from stars like Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and others.

SSG will also give the Tour broader access and connections to sponsors that can continue to fund the large purses for each event and performance bonuses for those who have remained loyal to the PGA and not defected to LIV.