Golf’s establishment is still redefining itself 12 months after the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit rocked the game globally and pitted longtime friends and colleagues against each other.
Tiger Woods, who came down hard on the side of the US PGA Tour and the DP World Tour, said those circuits are seeking the best means to engage fans, honor history and reward players in golf’s changed landscape.
“If you go back to this week at Genesis last year to where it’s at now, we all have to say it’s been very turbulent,” Woods said Tuesday as he prepared to play in the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
“We never would have expected the game of golf to be in this situation, but it is, that’s the reality.”
That reality includes back-and-forth lawsuits, a ban on LIV Golf players teeing it up on the PGA Tour — and similar attempted suspensions by the DP World Tour thwarted in court.
In the year since Phil Mickelson declared that LIV Golf offered a chance to “reshape” how the PGA Tour does business, significant changes have indeed been made, notably the addition of designated events in which top players must play and which carry beefed-up purses — including this week’s $20 million in prize money.
With other changes reportedly under consideration, including the creation of limited-field no-cut events on the PGA Tour, Woods said lots of options are under discussion.
“We are in the process of figuring all that out and it’s been a variety of different models, different opinions, trying to figure out what is the best product and competitive environment and what we should do going forward,” Woods said.
