Tiger Woods will reportedly go face to face with the top stars on the PGA Tour in an attempt to ramp up opposition to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.
Despite his ongoing injury battle following his high-speed car crash last year, Woods, 46, remains one of the most marketable sporting stars on the planet. And he was considered the golden ticket for the Greg Norman's rebel series, with the 15-time major champion offered a fee in the region of £600 million to defect.
However, the American icon rejected the offer, and has publicly voiced his opposition to those who have jumped ship. He's also taken aim at compatriot Phil Mickleson, who was one of the initial high-profile captures by Norman and co.
The likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Bryson DeChambeau have followed suit, whilst Henrik Stenson has been stripped of the European Ryder Cup captaincy over his move. And golf's civil war is set to escalate further with Open champion Cameron Smith having all but admitted he too is heading to the LIV tour.
And now Woods is set to issue a rallying cry to those that remain on the PGA Tour, and according to ESPN , will meet with several of the top golfers in Wilmington, Delaware. The venue is hosting the BMW Championship, the second FedEx Cup playoff event, which begins on Thursday.
Golf journalist Alan Shipnuck also tweeted: "I’m hearing tomorrow’s PGA Tour player meeting regarding LIV is going to be a banger. Supposedly everything is on the table, from major championship boycotts to Monahan’s future to a larger compromise."
And he added the former world No 1 will be present to try and garner support: "Tiger M.F Woods is expected to fly in to provide counsel/bully/cajole," wrote Shipnuck.
Speaking ahead of The Open at St Andrews back in July, Woods called out players who were moving from the tour that helped launch their careers: "I disagree with it," he said. "I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position."
He also questioned how younger players who don't have exemptions into the majors could jeopardise their chances to play in golf's biggest events: "Some players will never, ever get a chance to play in a major championship, never get a chance to experience this right here, walk down the fairways at Augusta National. That, to me, I just don't understand it," he added.
But despite mounting criticism Norman, 67, continues to be aggressive with his venture. And after three rebel players lost their legal bid to play in the FedEX Cup playoff events, he hit out at how his players have been treated.
"I don’t wake up with any fear about what LIV is and where LIV’s going to go because LIV is the future of golf," the Australian told Forbes Magazine . "What I do wake up in the nighttime: worrying about how the players have been treated. Simple as that."
The fourth LIV event takes place in Boston from September 2-4. Tournaments current consist of 54 holes, no cuts, and a team event that runs alongside the individual competition.
