Tiger Woods mentioned on Sunday that he had by no means seen a doc that reveals he was requested to rally help for the PGA Tour in its struggle towards LIV Golf, his first public remark concerning the saga because the bombshell Tour-LIV deal was introduced a month in the past.   

At 7:11 p.m. ET, Woods’ Twitter account posted this 35-word assertion: 

“In response to the speaking factors memo launched this weekend, I’ve by no means seen this doc till right this moment, and I didn’t attend the gamers assembly for which it was ready on the 2022 Vacationers.”

The tweet is presumably referring to paperwork which can be a part of an antitrust swimsuit introduced towards the PGA Tour by legal professional Larry Klayman after the Tour banned gamers who had joined LIV. The 357 pages of the swimsuit have been first obtained by Twitter account @desertdufferLLG and have been examined by Sports activities Illustrated reporters through the fifteenth Judicial Circuit Court docket in Palm Seaside County, Florida.

The paperwork declare that Woods was given “potential speaking factors” forward of a Tour gamers assembly finally June’s Vacationers Championship. At that time, LIV had performed one occasion; subsequently, the Tour made a number of strikes to steer gamers to stay with it, fairly than take giant, assured cash from the upstart sequence. 

On the Vacationers assembly, in line with the lawsuit, Woods was to talk after Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, and he was requested to say the next:

— “Guys, let me begin by saying, I believe Jay, our captain on this situation, is working his ass off.” 

— “I do know it’s straightforward to only motor alongside and play your schedule and do your factor, however it’s best to know, LIV Golf is making an attempt to take down the PGA Tour and take over golf.”

— “Guys, make no mistake, if that is an arms’ race — and if the weapons listed below are greenback payments — the PGA Tour can’t compete.” 

— “But when we refuse to go wherever, regardless of how a lot soiled cash they throw our approach, that’s our silver bullet.”

— “Sadly, 20 of our former members have given them a head begin. They’ve chosen a shit ton of cash over this Tour, every part it’s given them and every part it stands for.”

— “So while you ask, what can I do, I’ve two concepts. First, do what I did: Inform the Saudis to go fuck themselves. And imply it. Second, inform the world, again and again, any likelihood you get, that you’re sticking with the Tour since you are a part of one thing greater than your self. That you’re the PGA Tour, and the PGA Tour is you. That it’s rattling good, and it’s value preventing for.”

On June 6, just below a yr after that Vacationers Championship, the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Saudi Arabia Public Funding Fund — which bankrolls LIV — introduced that they’d come to an settlement. They may function a brand new, for-profit enterprise and finish pending litigation among the many sides, with a path again for LIV gamers. Notably, the deal was reportedly negotiated by simply 4 folks — Monahan, PGA Tour coverage board members Ed Hirlihy and Jimmy Dunne, and Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor.

For the reason that deal was introduced, Woods had been mum on something related to the Tour or LIV. However he had spoken out towards LIV beforehand, most memorably finally July’s Open Championship. 

“So far as … the gamers who’ve chosen to go to LIV and to play there, I disagree with it,” Woods mentioned then. “I believe that what they’ve carried out is that they’ve turned their again on what has allowed them to get to this place. 

“I simply don’t see how that transfer is optimistic in the long run for lots of those gamers, particularly if the LIV group doesn’t get world-ranking factors and the key championships change their standards for getting into the occasions,” he continued. “It will be unhappy to see a few of these younger children by no means get an opportunity to expertise it and expertise what we’ve bought an opportunity to expertise and stroll these hallowed grounds and play in these championships.”

Woods has been absent from golf for a lot of this yr — he underwent a foot process in April and has not performed because the Masters.

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Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his position, he’s liable for modifying, writing and growing tales throughout the golf area. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be enjoying the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and quick, and consuming a chilly beer to scrub away his rating. You’ll be able to attain out to him about any of those subjects — his tales, his recreation or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.