Tiger Woods has turned down an offer from LIV Golf, which is reportedly worth $700 to $800 million.
During an interview on Tucker Carlson Tonight, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said he wanted to look for the best players, and Woods was one of them.
“The number has been out there, yes,” Norman said. “Tiger is a needle mover. So of course you got to look at the best of the best. They originally approached Tiger before I became CEO, so yes, that number is somewhere in that neighborhood.”
The 46-year-old Woods has been one of the most outspoken PGA Tour supporters. At last month’s Open Championship in St. Andrews, Woods supported the R&A’s decision not to invite Norman to the 150th celebration of The US Open.
“The R&A obviously have their opinions and their rulings and their decision,” Woods said. “Greg has done some things that I don’t think is in the best interest of our game, and we’re coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe it’s the right thing.”
Woods has been critical of the players who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. These include past major champions such as Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, and Brooks Koepka. It was reported that they received contracts worth between $100 million and $200 million.
“The players who have chosen to go to LIV and to play there, I disagree with it,” Woods said. “I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”
Greg Norman confirms to Tucker Carlson that LIV offered Tiger Woods somewhere in the range of $700 to $800 million to join the tour
— Sam Stein (@samstein) August 2, 2022
Greg Norman has revealed the offer LIV Golf made to Tiger Woods, per @samstein:
$700 million to $800 million 💰
Woods turned it down. pic.twitter.com/8qQR8bedO1
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 2, 2022
Woods’ off-course business
Woods has made more than $1.4 billion since he turned pro in 1996. The billionaire is one of the highest-paid athletes ever. Woods is reportedly one of the only two athletes to have reached the status of a billionaire while still active. The other one is basketball star LeBron James.
In 2018, he won $4.6 million at the Tour Championship, which comprised $1.6 million for winning the tournament and $3 million for his second-place million for finishing second place in the FedEx Cup. It was one of the biggest paychecks he received in golf.
However, a bulk of his income comes from outside the course. Forbes reported that in the late 2000s, Woods made $100 million annually off the course. In 2020, he earned $60 million from endorsements alone.
He has a significant impact on the sport’s TV ratings. CBS president Neal Pilson said that TV audiences would drop 30 to 50 percent when Woods was not a contender at a tournament in the early 2000s.
During an interview in 2014, Phil Mickelson said that Woods boosted the popularity and interest in golf, which benefited everyone involved in the sport.
“Tiger has been the instigator,” Mickelson said. “He’s been the one that’s really propelled and driven the bus because he’s brought increased ratings, increased sponsors, increased interest, and we have all benefited.”
Sports agent Leigh Steinberg said Woods had exceptional skill in business compared to many other athletes.
“[He’s] been extremely skillful in taking parts of businesses, in creating their own business, in ways that athletes before them just weren’t,” Steinberg said.
“Initially he was a clean-cut role model; he was someone that epitomized the American dream,” says Steinberg. “In some ways, the struggles have only added to his profile.”