Tiger Woods admits to some apprehension in being around LIV Golf League members at Masters
Tiger Woods admitted someone else has an edge on him — not on the golf course but in the locker room, practice range, clubhouse and just maybe, at one of the most exclusive dinner clubs in the world.
Woods, who is making his first start of the season at this week's Genesis Invitational, the PGA Tour event he hosts at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, admitted that The Masters Tournament in April will be the first time he's seen most of the former Tour members he counted as colleagues — and in some cases friends — since the LIV Golf League launched in June of 2022.
Woods played only one tournament after that in which both LIV, PGA Tour and other players from international tours competed in the same field, the British Open.
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But he missed the cut that week and spent so much time in therapy trying to get ready, he wasn't around much beyond practice and playing two rounds.
The Masters will be different and Woods said other players such as Rory McIlroy have had the chance to break the ice, so to speak, at the DP World Tour event in Dubai two weeks ago.
"I don't know because I haven't been around them," Woods said during a news conference at Riviera on Tuesday. "Some of the players out here have. For instance, Rory's in Dubai with some of those players. I don't know, I don't know what that reaction's going to be. I know that some of our friendships have certainly taken a different path, but we'll see when all that transpires. That is still a couple months away."
Players in LIV Golf are on suspension by the PGA Tour. They're still playing on the DP World Tour under a court order pending the results of litigation, and they are playing in the major championships, if eligible.
Woods has also been critical of LIV Golf and its CEO, Greg Norman, and worked with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to develop a schedule of "Elevated Events," with larger purses — such as the $20 million the field at Riviera will divide up this week.
And to be a fly on the wall at the annual Masters Champions Diner: PGA Tour members such as Woods, defending champion Scottie Scheffler, Hideki Matsuyama, Zach Johnson, Trevor Immelman, Vijay Singh and Jordan Spieth will be elbow-to-elbow with LIV members such as Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson.
Woods said his hope is that any animosities are left at the door to the dining room.
"The Champions Dinner is going to be obviously something that's talked about," he said. "We as a whole need to honor Scottie, Scottie's the winner, it's his dinner. So making sure that Scottie gets honored correctly."
But Woods admitted that the potential for hard feelings might be there.
"But also realizing the nature of what has transpired and the people that have left," he said. "Just where our situations are either legally, emotionally, there's a lot there."
Fond memories
Woods played his first PGA Tour event at Riviera in 1992 at the age of 16, missing the cut with rounds of 72-75.
He said the first memory that springs to mind are the small mountains of pure, white range balls on the practice facility. For a kid who grew up playing public and municipal golf, it was startling.
"I had never seen as many fresh range balls that were nonstriped," he said. "Being able to hit those brand-new Balata balls I would normally find in creeks and stuff and use in tournaments ... and then come out here ... I was like 17 back of [playing partner] Davis [Love III]. I realized yes, there is a disparity and there's a gap.
"Could I have played a little bit better?" he went on. "Yes, I could have probably played four or five shots better, but I was not that good. Realized I needed to go back to high school golf, get better there, better at junior golf ... I was able to have more success because I got a chance to experience what I needed to do out here, pick [Tour pros] brains and how they went about their business."
Five years later, Woods won the Masters for his third PGA Tour title. The lessons of that missed cut in L.A. were obviously well-learned.
It's hard to stay No. 1
When Scheffler won the WM Phoenix Open last week, he returned to No. 1 on the world golf rankings.
Depending on what happens this week at Riviera, he could be supplanted by McIlroy or Jon Rahm.
Such is the shelf life of No. 1-ranked players since Woods. When McIlroy fell out of the top spot last week, it marked the 14th season in a row in which a player who started the season ranked first fell out.
The last player to remain No. 1 wire-to-wire was Woods in 2009. What's illustrates his dominance in the world is that it was the fourth year in a row he held No. 1, and he spent an entire season ranked first nine times.
The only other players to start and finish the season ranked first since the ranking system began in 1986 were Nick Faldo in 1993 and Greg Norman in 1996.
Scott elected as PAC chairman
Adam Scott, the 2004 Players champion and 14-time PGA Tour winner, has been elected chairman of the Players Advisory Council in a vote of the Tour membership. Also on the ballot were Maverick McNealy and Kevin Streelman.
The PAC advises and consults with the Policy Board and commissioner Jay Monahan.
Scott will serve as the chairman for 2023 and then replace Charley Hoffman as one of the five player-directors on the Policy Board. He will then serve a three-year term.
In addition to his Players title and the 2013 Masters championship, Scott is one of two players to qualify for the FedEx Cup in each of the first 16 seasons, along with Matt Kuchar, and has played for the International team in the last 10 Presidents Cups.
When Scott ascends to the Policy Board, he will join Rory McIlroy, Webb Simpton, Peter Malnati and another player who will be elevated later this year
Among the other players on the 16-member PAC are Brian Harman and Keith Mitchell of St. Simons Island, Ga., reigning player of the year Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Shane Lowry and Will Zalatoris.
ROAD TO THE PLAYERS
Players Championship: March 9-12, Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
Days until first round: 23.
Tournaments until The Players: Three.
Tickets: theplayers.com.
Players trivia: There have been 10 holes-in-one at the par-3 17th hole in Players history, the last by Shane Lowry in 2022.
PGA TOUR
Event: Genesis Invitational, Thursday-Sunday, Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
At stake: $20 million purse ($3.6 million and 550 FedEx Cup points to the winner.
Last year's champion: Joaquin Niemann.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 4-8 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 1-3 p.m.); CBS (Saturday, 3-7 p.m.; Sunday, 3-6 p.m.).
Area players entered: Harris English, Lanto Griffin, Brian Harman, Billy Horschel, Patton Kizzire, Russell Knox, Keith Mitchell, Trey Mullinax, J.T. Poston, Doc Redman, Sam Ryder, Greyson Sigg, Davis Thompson, Michael Thompson.
Notable: Niemann blitzed the field with opening rounds of 63-63, then held on to beat Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa by two shots. ... Tournament host Tiger Woods will make his first start of the season. ... Also in the field are Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, and Jordan Spieth. ... The Florida Swing begins next week with the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Event: Chubb Classic, Friday-Sunday, Tiburon Golf Club, Naples.
At stake: $2 million purse ($270,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Bernhard Langer.
TV: Golf Channel (Friday, 12-3 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 12-3:30 p.m.).
Area players entered: Fred Funk, Jim Furyk.
Notable: Chubb celebated its 25th year as the title sponsor. It's the longest current relationship with an event on the Champions Tour. ... Langer shot 64 in the first round and went on to beat Tim Petrovic by three shots. ... Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Padraig Harrington are also playing.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Tiger Woods hopes champions dinner will be peaceful with LIV, Tour players
