Tiger throws major jab at absent Phil
TULSA, Okla. — Tiger Woods is all about majors and legacy, a point he drove home Tuesday in a sharp rebuke of Phil Mickelson and his support of a Saudi-funded golf venture that led to Lefty not defending his title at the PGA Championship.
Even as Woods resumes a remarkable return from a car crash 15 months ago that nearly led to his right leg being amputated, the PGA Championship cannot escape the absence of Mickelson and speculation about who might sign up for Greg Norman’s new Saudi-backed golf series.
Woods said he has not tried to reach out to Mickelson since his self-imposed hiatus from golf three months ago, mainly because of their difference of opinion on how golf should be run.
“I understand different viewpoints,’’ Woods said, ‘‘but I believe in legacies. I believe in major championships. I believe in big events, comparisons to historical figures of the past.
“There’s plenty of money out here. The tour is growing. But it’s just like any other sport — it’s like tennis — you have to earn it. You’ve got to play for it. We have an opportunity to go ahead and do it. It’s just not guaranteed up front.”
That was a reference to some of the Public Investment Fund money out of Saudi Arabia being offered to players to join Norman and his LIV Golf Investments. According to various reports out of Britain, some top players were being offered more than the $120 million Woods has made in career PGA Tour earnings.
Mickelson showed his hand in two interviews published in February. He accused the PGA Tour of “obnoxious greed” while playing in Saudi Arabia, and more incendiary comments followed when Alan Shipnuck published an excerpt of his unauthorized biography of Mickelson.
Mickelson said the Saudis were “scary mother-[expletive] to get involved with,” then dismissed human-rights atrocities — such as the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi — by saying it was worth it to gain leverage to make changes on the PGA Tour. He also said he didn’t care if the Saudi league failed as long as the tour made changes he wanted.
Mickelson decided last Friday that he would not play at Southern Hills, missing out on a chance to be celebrated for his historic win last year at Kiawah Island when at 50 he became golf’s oldest major champion. He is the first PGA champion not to defend since Woods was recovering from knee surgery in 2008 and skipped Oakland Hills.
“It’s always disappointing when the defending champion is not here,” said Woods, who will play the first two rounds with Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth. “Phil has said some things that I think a lot of us who are committed to the tour and committed to the legacy of the tour have pushed back against, and he’s taken some personal time, and we all understand that. But I think that some of his views on how the tour could be run, should be run, [there has] been a lot of disagreement there.
“He’s just taking his time, and we all wish him the best when he comes back.”