Woods Stays Firmly on the Sidelines as Golf’s Fate Hangs in the Balance
The Hero World Challenge is temporarily Tiger Woods’ only arena. As the tournament host in the Bahamas, Woods watched this week from a spectator’s perspective, his participation sidelined by what he described a frustrating year battling back pain.
“I’m not tournament sharp yet, no," Woods acknowledged. "These are 20 of the best players in the world and I’m not sharp enough to compete against them at this level. So when I’m ready to compete and play at this level, then I will.”
But even off the course, Woods is deeply involved in the ongoing drama embroiling professional golf. Appointed to the PGA Tour board a year ago, Woods has a front-row seat to the turbulent negotiations that could forever reshape the sport.
Talks continue between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed Public Investment Fund (PIF) regarding a possible investment in PGA Tour Enterprises. The future of LIV Golf, with its controversial Saudi sponsorship and lucrative player contracts, hangs in the balance.
"I think all of us who have been a part of this process would have thought it would have happened quicker than this," Woods admitted, highlighting the complexity of the situation. He remained optimistic, however, suggesting "things are very fluid, we’re still working through it, it’s happening daily… From a policy board standpoint or from an enterprise standpoint, things are moving and they’re constructive."
Just last week, Bloomberg reported that the European tour is engaging in separate talks with the PIF, raising the prospect of a shared schedule allowing global players to seamlessly navigate both circuits. This potential unification raises more questions, but Woods emphasized the need for a positive outcome.
"We all want to get past this and to do what’s best for the tour and in trying to do that, there’s going to be… some eggs are going to be knocked over and it’s going to be a little bit difficult at times,” Woods acknowledged. “But in the end we’re going to get a product that’s better for all the fans and all the players that are involved and get some peace that the game desperately needs."
While the fate of professional golf hangs in the balance, Woods’ personal future also remains uncertain.
"This year, I had to toss it away and I wasn’t as sharp as I needed to be and I didn’t play as much as I needed to going into the major championships and I didn’t play well at them,” he reflected on his challenging 2023 season. A sixth surgery earlier this year aimed to alleviate chronic pain and allow him to re-engage with competitive play.
Woods mustered a glimmer of hope regarding his future on the course: "Whether my commitment going forward is once a month, yeah, I could say that all over again. But I truly don’t know. I’m just trying to rehab and still get stronger and better and feel better, really give myself the best chance I can going into next year."
For now, the world watches as the sport navigates a tumultuous period, with Tiger Woods playing a pivotal role both on, and off, the course.
