Tiger Woods decided against meeting with Donald Trump as the United States President attempts to solve the LIV Golf-PGA Tour conundrum plaguing the sport.
Trump claimed that he could resolve golf’s biggest issues in only 15 minutes before he was sworn in, but just under a month on from his inauguration, unification talks remain deadlocked.
Despite signing a framework agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in 2023, little progress has been made to bring the two competitions together.
However, Woods has provided some optimism that in his absence, Trump’s meeting with PGA Tour board member Adam Scott and commissioner Jay Monahan could yield a positive outcome.
“I think we’re in a very positive place right now,” Woods told CBS during the final round of the Genesis Invitational.
“We had a meeting with the president. Unfortunately, I had some other circumstances that came up, but Jay and Adam, they did great during the meeting and we have another subsequent meeting coming up.
“I think that things are going to heal quickly. We’re going to get this game going in the right direction. It’s been heading in the wrong direction for a number of years. The fans want all the top players playing together and we’re going to make that happen.”
When he was asked if a reunification could happen soon, potentially this year, Woods added: “Yes and yes.”
The “other circumstances” that prevented Woods from joining Scott and Monahan at the White House was the tragic passing of his mother, Kultida.
Her death was announced by Woods on February 4, who described her as “my rock” in an emotional statement.
He expressed gratitude for the support shown by the golf community and his fellow professionals, saying: “Tough process to go through but I’ve had amazing family support.
“All the players have reached out that were playing here this week. The amount of texts and emails and nice messages of support I got has really helped and has really meant a lot to me.”
Woods had planned to compete at the Genesis Invitational before the unfortunate news, but he could now compete at the Arnold Palmer Invitational or Players Championship before trying his hand at the Masters in April.
The legendary golfer has been a driving force in the possible reunification of the sport, playing a role in negotiations and opening up the potential for LIV players returning to the PGA Tour.
The US Department of Justice is thought to be a significant stumbling block preventing any process, as a body that keeps an eye on deals between American organisations and Saudi Arabia, though now presided over by keen golfer Trump.