Tiger Woods Poetically Unloads on LIV Golf Defectors With Scathing Criticism
Many powerful figures in the world of golf don’t agree with anything the LIV Golf Invitational Series stands for, but they at least understand why some players have ditched the PGA Tour for guaranteed wads of Saudi cash.
But Tiger Woods, being the relentless competitor he’s always been, can’t fathom why these golfers would throw away a chance to build a lasting legacy on the PGA Tour.
Woods himself turned down close to $1 billion to join the rival golf league. Speaking ahead of the 2022 Open Championship at St. Andrews, the living legend bashed the LIV Golf defectors for choosing money over legacy in the most poetic response we’ve heard yet on the matter.
Tiger Woods poetically unloads on LIV Golf
Woods has been relatively quiet in regards to the LIV Golf drama over the past few months. Maybe he felt like it was finally time to speak up, or maybe it was just something in that Scotland air — but Woods decided to break his silence ahead of the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews.
“I disagree with it,” Woods told reporters Tuesday morning. “I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”
“Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships. That is a possibility. We don’t know that for sure yet,” he continued. “It’s up to all the major championship bodies to make that determination. But that is a possibility, that some players will never, ever get a chance to play in a major championship, never get a chance to experience this right here, walk down the fairways at Augusta National. That, to me, I just don’t understand it.”
As of right now, LIV Golf participants won’t be able to rack up Official World Golf Ranking points through the rival league. That means they won’t be able to automatically qualify for major championships in the future, and once their exemptions run out, they’ll have no way of cracking the major fields.
Woods can’t grasp why these players, especially on the younger side, would take that risk in exchange for some extra cash.
“I just don’t see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players, especially if the LIV organization doesn’t get world-ranking points and the major championships change their criteria for entering the events,” he said. “It would be sad to see some of these young kids never get a chance to experience it and experience what we’ve got a chance to experience and walk these hallowed grounds and play in these championships.”
Tiger Woods calls out LIV Golf defectors for choosing money over legacy
Woods thinks the LIV Golf defectors are taking the easy way out. All he knows is how to compete, and the only goal every time he’s teed up his golf ball throughout his career has been to win trophies and build a legacy.
No amount of money is going to change that for him, and he can’t respect how that’s become the case for so many golfers.
“What these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice?” Woods said “What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You’re just getting paid a lot of money up front and playing a few events and playing 54 holes. They’re playing blaring music and have all these atmospheres that are different.”
The LIV Golf participants are going to take a long look in the mirror after hearing Tiger question their competitiveness. But it’s too late to turn back now. They’ve made their decision, and the greatest competitor in the history of golf will never respect them again because of it.
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