Tiger Woods turned down somewhere between $700 million and $800 million to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, CEO Greg Norman said in an interview with Tucker Carlson Monday night.
Why it matters: Woods’ decision comes as many other major professional golfers have signed lucrative deals to compete in the LIV Golf circuit despite the tension between the event series and the PGA Tour.
Driving the news: Norman told Carlson that the offers to Woods were made before he was CEO.
The upstart golf circuit has drawn controversy due to its connection to Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of trying to boost its global image by funding the tour.
The big picture: Despite the controversies, at least 10 of the top 50 players on the Official World Golf Ranking have joined LIV Golf.
The intrigue: Woods is the biggest name to reportedly decline LIV Golf offers. Other golfers and personalities have also declined offers to join the league.
Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to reflect Scottie Scheffler has not joined the LIV Golf Tour and Jordan Smith, not Cameron Smith, said LIV Golf is “not something I’d entertain.”
