Tiger Woods Says PGA TOUR-PIF Negotiation Progress Makes Him ‘Happy’

Tiger Woods was asked about his thoughts on the progress of the merger talks between the PGA TOUR and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), and he said that he is “happy” with how things are going.

Woods is a big part of the talks and has been side-by-side with PGA TOUR brass while the two sides work out a deal that would see the PIF invest in the TOUR, while also potentially allowing LIV Golfers back into tournaments.

Perfecting the art of the pot bunker.@TigerWoods | @TheOpen pic.twitter.com/sXNXj21voW

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 17, 2024

Progress is making Woods happy after one reporter at this week’s Open Championship bluntly asked him about the talks:

“I can tell you we’re making progress. I can’t tell you more than that just because we’re not going to negotiate on the outside. We’ve got to keep everything at a high level and private, but things are moving and things are changing. It’s evolving each and every day. There’s e-mails and chains and texts and ideas that we bounce back and forth from both sides.”

The reporter asked simply enough if Woods was “happy” with the progress the two sides were making. Woods replied:

“Yes, I am.”

Admitting that he never foresaw having a relationship or capacity with the TOUR that would see him in the boardroom making deals on its behalf, the 15-time Major winner knows a deal between the two sides truly depends on profitability:

“They want to make money as well. They want to make that return. We’re now into not just charitable endeavors, we’re into a for-profit model. So we have to make returns.”

Woods is set to play this week’s The Open with Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and will tee off at 9:37 a.m. EDT tomorrow.

Cover Image via Fox News