Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Tiger Woods comes out guns blazing against LIV Golf in the sport’s civil war

Multimillionaire golf star Tiger doesn't have to worry about whether he has enough money to retire on - but most of us aren't so lucky.
Multimillionaire golf star Tiger doesn't have to worry about whether he has enough money to retire on - but most of us aren't so lucky.

If golf’s establishment wanted Tiger Woods up on their barricades in golf’s civil war, he came out all guns blazing at St Andrews.

Never keen to take a big stance on anything in his 25 years as the leading figure in the sport, Woods took up the cause of the big tours and the major championships against LIV Golf.

And he did so with a passion that was startling to even seasoned Tiger observers.

Appeal to younger players

His appeal was particularly aimed at younger players coming into professional golf being courted by LIV. He wondered aloud whether they could walk in his footsteps at the great major championships if they joined the Saudi-backed rebel tour.

Woods was speaking at what he described as “probably the most historic Open ever” ahead of the 150th championship. He invoked the legacy of the sport, the tours and even his own journey through prejudice.

On those who had defected to LIV – “I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.”

On LIV CEO Norman – “Greg has done some things that I don’t think are in the best interest of our game. We’re coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe (not inviting him to St Andrews) was the right thing.”

On young players tempted by LIV – “They’ll go right from the amateur ranks right into that organisation. They’ll never really got a chance to play a Tour schedule or to play in some big events.

“Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships. Never get a chance to experience this right here at St Andrews, or walk down the fairways at Augusta National.

“It would be sad to see some of these young kids never get a chance to experience that, walk these hallowed grounds and play in these championships.

“That, to me, I just don’t understand it.”

‘Where is the incentive to practise?’

On the LIV Golf format – “What these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practise? 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.

“54 holes is almost like a mandate when you get to the Senior Tour. The guys are little bit older and a little more banged up. But when you’re at this young age and some of these kids, 72-hole tests are part of it.”

“I just don’t see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players. Especially if the LIV organisation doesn’t get world-ranking points and the major championships change their criteria for entering the events.”

On the legacy and history of the game – “It’s a very important part of understanding the development of our game, where we’ve come from. Especially for me, for a person who’s had to struggle at times for admittance into clubhouses or onto golf courses.

“You have to appreciate everything about this game. How it’s developed, and the people who have paved the way to allow us to play in these events. Who created the energy behind it.

“I saw Sir Bob Charles out there on 18 hitting yesterday. I think he won in ’63 or something like that. Just to be able to see that in person, live, god, that was just so special. I just hope the kids appreciate that.”

Woods’ comments carry huge weight

Woods has rarely been given to public pronouncements on the politics of the sport, which makes his stance on Tuesday all the more remarkable.

His injuries from a car crash in February last year now limit his playing opportunities. But there’s no question he’s still a hero, an example to emulate and inspiration to a huge number of golfers.

For Woods to come out so unequivocally on behalf of golf’s existing structures can’t be regarded as anything other than a huge blow to the LIV Golf rebels.

And for him to do so at the 150th Open, a massively historic event in the sport, it carries even more weight.