Tiger Points To ‘Options’ As PGA Tour-PIF Deadline Nears

Tiger Woods is confident that the PGA Tour will eventually secure an investment deal that’s best for its players. 

But he’s staying mum on whether or not that deal will be with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — and if it will come before the self-imposed Dec. 31 deadline.

“We have multiple options,” Woods said on Tuesday ahead of his return to PGA Tour competition at this week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. Earlier this month, the PGA Tour said it remained focused on the $1 billion-plus PIF deal but acknowledged additional talks with other investors, which have reportedly been narrowed down to five options.

Woods said he’s frustrated by the slowness of the talks to reshape professional golf and wouldn’t rule out pushing back the aforementioned deadline: “Dec. 31st is coming up very quickly.”

What professional golf will look like in just 12 or 24 months remains “murky,” Woods said. “There’s a lot of moving parts in how we could play, whether it’s here at the PGA Tour or merging, or it’s team golf.”

Executive Decisions

Woods is pleased with his time so far on the PGA Tour policy board, which he said he joined so that players wouldn’t be left in the dark on any further deals, as they were with the PIF agreement. “We can’t let that happen again,” he said.

Looking ahead, Woods said he understands Rory McIlroy’s decision to resign from the policy board and has faith in PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to chart the best course forward — no matter who ends up investing in the circuit.