Tiger Woods pledges PGA Tour support over Greg Norman's plans

Tiger Woods has pinned his colours to the PGA Tour mast over Greg Norman’s bid to revolutionise golf with Saudi Arabian backing.

Tiger Woods and Greg Norman share a joke during the 133rd Open Championship at Royal Troon. Picture: Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images.

Former world No 1 Norman recently became CEO of LIV Golf Investments and is set to pump $200m into the Asian Tour over the next 10 years.

His plans could include a series of events around the world that would form a Golf Super League, which is likely to target the world’s top players.

The first big event on the Asian Tour is set to be the $5 million Saudi International in February, with PGA Tour and European Tour members likely to need an official release to tee up.

“It's going to be his decision, period,” said Woods, speaking ahead of his hosting duties at this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas, of being asked what advice he’d offer to a player coming to him for advice over a Golf Super League. “I've decided for myself that I'm supporting the PGA Tour, that's where my legacy is.

“I've been fortunate enough to have won 82 events on this tour and 15 major championships and been a part of the World Golf Championships, the start of them and the end of them. So I have an allegiance to the PGA Tour.

“And I understand that some of the comparisons is very similar to when Arnold [Palmer] and Jack [Nicklaus] broke off from the PGA of America to start the Tour.

“I don't see it that way. I think the Tour has done a fantastic job, Jay [Monahan, the PGA Tour commissioner] has done an unbelievable job during a very difficult time during the pandemic when there was ample opportunities for players to leave, but we were the first sporting tour to start.

“Did we have some protocol issues at times? Yes, we had to learn on the fly, but Jay and the staff had done an incredible job of that.

“I think the Tour is in great hands, they're doing fantastic, and prize-money's going up. It's just not guaranteed money like most sports are. It's just like tennis, you have to go out there and earn it.”

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