Tiger Woods has firmly planted his flag on the PGA Tour, even though he no longer plans to play a full-time schedule.
With reports of competing leagues to the PGA Tour circulating, Woods stated Tuesday that players will have to make their own decisions, but that he will continue to support the PGA Tour.
Woods stated, “That’s where my legacy is.”
The purposed breakaway tours, whether linked with Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed league or the Premier Golf League, have been largely unknown.. No players have formally stated their plans to join other tours, and Woods, who has won 82 times on the PGA Tour, has stated that he has “an allegiance to the PGA Tour.”
“I understand some of the similarities are quite comparable to when Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus broke away from the PGA of America to form the Tour,” Woods said. “I think the Tour has done an incredible job; [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay [Monahan] has done an incredible job during a very tough time during the epidemic when there were plenty of reasons for players to quit, but they were the first sporting tour to start.”
“I believe the Tour is in good hands; they’re doing a tremendous job, and the prize money is increasing,” he added. “Unlike other sports, it’s not guaranteed money.” It’s similar to tennis in that you have to work for it.”
Woods is the host of two PGA Tour events: the Genesis Invitational, which will have a payout increase from $9.3 million to $12 million next year, and the Hero World Challenge, which starts this week and awards world-ranking points.
