Tiger Woods to fix LIV Golf mess?! Phil Mickelson responds to HUGE new update!
Phil Mickelson heaps praise on Tiger Woods who becomes sixth player to join PGA Tour Policy Board.
Phil Mickelson has praised the news that Tiger Woods has become the sixth player to join the PGA Tour's policy board.
Woods joins Rory McIlroy, Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati as PGA Tour players on the board.
With now half of the 12-seat board backed by players, it means the players have full control and a final say on all future matters on the PGA Tour.
It's also a potentially huge moment given June's shock announcement the PGA Tour are set to merge with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
New PGA Tour player director Woods, 47, will now have a huge say on the future of LIV Golf and what happens there, especially if the PGA Tour's merger is given a green light with Saudi PIF, which currently bankrolls Greg Norman's golf league.
The newest PGA Tour Policy Board Player Director… Tiger Woods.
pic.twitter.com/qP3wG5B8xQ— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 1, 2023
Some say LIV Golf will continue, such as Mickelson and Norman, while others consider the league is on borrowed time now its backers have partnered with the powerhouse that is the PGA Tour.
McIlroy last month ripped into LIV Golf en route to winning the Scottish Open.
"If LIV Golf was the last place on earth to play golf, I would retire," said McIlroy.
A statement from the PGA Tour yesterday confirmed that "player directors will have full transparency and the authority to approve — or to decline to approve — any potential changes to the tour as part of the framework agreement discussions."
In his first public comments since the shock merger between PGA Tour and Saudi PIF was announced on June 6, Woods yesterday confirmed his latest news via a statement where he gave PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan his full support moving forwards.
On August 1, Woods said:
In response to Woods' news, Mickelson, who is now on LIV Golf, tweeted:
Woods' close friend Justin Thomas was equally pleased with the news.
Thomas said:
JT is competing in the Wyndham Championship this week, his final shot at not only qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs but also to continue playing on the PGA Tour in the lead up to the Ryder Cup.
As it stands, Thomas is on the outside looking in at 79th in the FedEx Cup Standings where only the top 70 players progress into the first Playoffs event at the FedEx St Jude Championship next week.
Thomas has never missed out on the Playoffs since he has been part of the PGA Tour, and he has only once missed the season-finale Tour Championship at East Lake, which came in his rookie season.
JT reacts to Tiger Woods becoming the newest PGA Tour Policy Board member: “I don’t think there’s anyone else I would want speaking on my behalf & the rest of the guys.… We gotta keep him busy somehow, he can’t just sit on the couch & do nothing.”pic.twitter.com/Q8dbcR2YeY
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 1, 2023
Mickelson, who is understood to have accepted $200m for a move to LIV Golf last summer, has long maintained that the PGA Tour has never been transparent with its finances and that all of the circuit's players should benefit more from the purse structure. It is the 'PGA Tour' after all.
Following Monahan's decision to table a series of designated events with huge $20m purses on the PGA Tour this season, with some if not all of them no longer featuring a 36-hole cut to ensure all the best players are competing on the weekends (like on LIV Golf), Mickelson was once again the first player from LIV Golf to applaud such a move.
"I think a lot of my conversations with (former PGA Tour commissioner Tim) Finchem going back 15, 18 years even up to a year ago (with commissioner Jay Monahan) are pretty well documented," Mickelson told Sports Illustrated last September.
He added: "I would say I’m generally happy that the top players who are really driving the Tour and creating the interest are being listened to. And what they are doing for the Tour is being valued now. I’m happy to see that happen."
According to the Washington Post, it is believed Woods was among 41 PGA Tour players who sent a letter to Monahan stipulating the 15-time major champion was to be added to the PGA Tour's policy board.
These players were as follows:
- Tiger Woods
- Rory McIlroy
- Patrick Cantlay
- Charley Hoffman
- Peter Malnati
- Webb Simpson
- Jordan Spieth
- Adam Scott
- Rickie Fowler
- Kevin Kisner
- Billy Horschel
- Sam Burns
- Justin Thomas
- Xander Schauffele
- Justin Rose
- Max Homa
- Collin Morikawa
- Will Zalatoris
- Scottie Scheffler
- Jon Rahm
- Viktor Hovland
- Matt Fitzpatrick
- Cameron Young
- Shane Lowry
- Keegan Bradley
- Brian Harman
- Tom Kim
- Tony Finau
- Wyndham Clark
- Hideki Matsuyama
- Tyrrell Hatton
- Jason Day
- Mackenzie Hughes
- Corey Conners
- Maverick McNealy
- Kevin Mitchell
- Henrik Norlander
- Ryan Armour
- Brice Garnett
- Kevin Streelman
- Tommy Fleetwood
Woods has not played in a competitive event since he WD from The Masters in April prior to the final round, shortly before he had surgery on his foot.
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