Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are both in negotiations for a PGA Tour-LIV Golf merger.
Rory McIlroy claims there is “no strain” in his friendship with Tiger Woods, but admits they have differing perspectives on the future of men’s professional golf.
World number two McIlroy, who has softened his stance on the breakaway LIV tour, stated that he is now a member of the “transaction subcommittee” attempting to reach an agreement. McIlroy, on the other hand, announced on Wednesday that he will not be returning to the PGA Tour’s policy board because it “got pretty complicated and pretty messy”.
According to the Telegraph, Woods, a 15-time major winner, voted against McIlroy’s reappointment to the board. “I would say, I mean, I think friends can have disagreements or not see things – I guess not – not see eye to eye on things but have disagreements on things,” McIlroy stated. “I think that is fine. But, no, I wouldn’t say that; we had a great 45-minute conversation last Friday discussing a variety of topics. “No, there is no strain there. I believe we may have differing perspectives on the future of golf, but it should not strain a relationship or friendship.”
Woods and Adam Scott, the champion of the 2013 Masters, are also part of a five-member subcommittee that will negotiate with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. McIlroy, speaking after opening with a four-under 67 at the Wells Fargo Championship, added: “I’ve already had calls with that group; I had a very fantastic hour and a half Zoom with those guys on Sunday.
“We went through a 150-page document detailing the future product model and everything. “Yeah, I’m not on the board, but I’m part of the transaction committee. I don’t have a vote, so I don’t have much influence in what occurs in the future.”
McIlroy backtracked somewhat on his statements on Wednesday on the PGA Tour policy board, saying there was “a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason”. A day later, he claimed that it had more to do with red tape. “I don’t necessarily believe that people didn’t want me participating. It was more about how I could get involved again, right?” He said.
