Tiger Woods hopped on a plane and flew to Delaware on Tuesday, where Wilmington Country Club is hosting this week’s penultimate PGA Tour event, the BMW Championship.
He wasn’t going to play, but rather to discuss the future of the Tour. And, according to a report from Fire Pit Collective, those changes include the potential for larger-purse events and some news on the next wave of departures of players to the LIV Golf Series.
Woods’ appearance in Delaware was pivotal in the ongoing power struggle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. The day after the FedEx Cup playoffs conclude, LIV Golf is expected to announce seven new signees, including one “long-rumored superstar,” according to the report. That could be Cameron Smith, who withdrew from this week’s BMW Championship but didn’t comment on an earlier report of his departure last week.
Nevertheless, the report also states Woods was among 15 top players he assembled to discuss changing the structure of the Tour, including a plan that could see 18 tournaments staged with 60 of the top players and $20 million purses. The events would feature no cuts, similar to the LIV Golf format.
Another discussion at the meeting was the Tour renouncing its nonprofit status, which Woods and Rory McIlroy are said to support. The change would force the Tour to pay taxes but would give it much more freedom on how it operates, including allowing investors and equity firms to pump money into the Tour.
The Tour has already announced numerous changes to purse sizes and season schedules. Yet if Woods, who has been the face of the PGA Tour for more than two decades, has anything to say about it, there could be even more on tap.
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