Tiger Woods has thoughts on Greg Norman and the Saudi-funded LIV Tour, saying that players "turned their backs" on the sport of golf and are choosing cash over championships.
Tiger Woods calmly rips on Greg Norman
Tiger Woods sounded statesmanlike on Tuesday morning as he arrived at the historic 150th British Open. In his calm and composed style, he shared his thoughts about competitor Greg Norman.
Woods was asked by a reporter at the news conference regarding the decision made by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews to dis-invite Greg Norman out of concerns that his presence might be a distraction. Norman is the chairman of the controversial LIV tour, the Washington Post reported.
"The R&A obviously have their opinions and their rulings and their decision," Woods said. "Greg has done some things that I don't think are in the best interest of our game, and we're coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe it's the right thing."
"I know what the PGA Tour stands for and what we have done and what the tour has given us, the ability to chase after our careers and to earn what we get and the trophies we have been able to play for and the history that has been a part of this game," Woods continued on the subject a few answers later. "I know Greg tried to do this [a rival tour] back in the early '90s. It didn’t work then, and he's trying to make it work now."
"I still don’t see how that's in the best interests of the game. What the European Tour and what the PGA Tour stands for and what they've done, and also all the professional — all the governing bodies of the game of golf and all the major championships, how they run it," Woods added. "I think they see it differently than what Greg sees it."
Words disappointed with players joining LIV golf: "Turned their backs" on sport
Tiger Woods slammed players who have chosen to play in the rival Saudi Arabia-backed league LIV golf, saying they are choosing cash over major championships, CBSSports reported.
"I disagree with [players going to LIV]," Woods said on Tuesday from St. Andrews, Scotland. "I think that what they've done is they've turned their back[s] on what has allowed them to get to this position."
"Some players have never got a chance to even experience it [major championships]," Woods continued. "They've gone right from the amateur ranks right into that organization and never really got a chance to play out here and what it feels like to play a tour schedule or to play in some big events."
"And who knows what's going to happen in the near future with world-ranking points, the criteria for entering major championships," Woods added. "The governing body is going to have to figure that out."
"Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships," Woods stressed. "That is a possibility. We don't know that for sure yet. It's up to all the major championship bodies to make that determination. But that is a possibility that some players will never, ever get a chance to play in a major championship, never get a chance to experience this right here, walk down the fairways at Augusta National."