Rory McIlroy is excited about the chance to bridge the gap between PGA Tour and LIV Golf players in ‘The Showdown’ event next week in Las Vegas.
McIlroy will join forces with PGA’s Scottie Scheffler to take on LIV stars Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau at Shadow Creek Golf Club in a unique matchplay challenge, featuring three formats over 18 holes
“We’re trying to bring these players together, and the more opportunities we can get to do that, the better,” he remarked. He acknowledges the divide, “Does it remind people we’re not playing together all the time? Yes. But at least we’re making the effort to try to bring the best together more often.”
McIlroy suggests starting with events like ‘The Showdown’ is beneficial. Currently, encounters between PGA and LIV players are restricted to majors due to the ban on LIV golfers in PGA events. While he is looking forward to the competition, McIlroy remains uncertain about the frequency of future PGA versus LIV matchups.
Rory McIlroy has voiced his uncertainties about the golfing world’s future, saying, “With the way the whole golf landscape works, I’m still unsure of when we’ll get together a little more often,” alluding to recent divisions in the sport. He went on to emphasize the intent behind potential matches, remarking, “The idea is to bring the best of both tours together in a match that people could get behind and get excited about it.”
This statement arrives amid persistent negotiations between PGA Tour officials and LIV Golf Investments, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), concerning a possible detente.
While McIlroy doubts such an event—dubbed ‘The Showdown’—would dramatically alter talks, he suggests it signifies an athlete-led push for amalgamation. “I don’t know if it was to spur things,” McIlroy added, asserting a proactive stance from players.
“It was really about us saying we’re going take this into our own hands a little bit, and we’re going to do something outside either tour, not to give something back to the fans but to … let them know that we’re trying to provide entertainment, that the players want to play together more often.”
The celebrated golfer concluded with a call for unity, stressing, “We’d like to see everybody back together. There’s been so much talk about LIV versus the PGA Tour, all this talk about money.
“We want to get back to the competition. … It’s fun to get together to compete.”
A LIV Golf star, whose wife publicly slammed Tiger Woods after his high-speed car crash in 2021, is facing a tough battle to avoid being demoted from the tour next year.
Pat Perez has had a dismal year on the LIV circuit, narrowly avoiding relegation by the slimmest of margins. The Arizona-born golfer finished the 2024 LIV season in 48th place, just one spot and 1.56 points above the automatic drop zone.
If Kalle Samooja hadn’t shot a final-round 71 in the last LIV event of the year, Perez’s fate might have been sealed. However, assuming a team signs the former PGA Tour star during the free agency period, Perez will retain his LIV contract going into 2025.
But with his back already against the wall, defending his position could prove even more challenging next year if Perez’s form continues on a similar downward trend.
Perez is no stranger to controversy, having been embroiled in a war of words with Woods in the past. Woods, a vocal critic of the LIV project since its inception, has claimed that players who left the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed league are only motivated by money.
Perez fired back at the golf legend, saying “that’s the stupidest —- I have ever heard of in my life” on an episode of the Son of a Butch podcast.
He remarked: “Now, next year you might; they finally got the perks. But last time I checked, he signed a $40 million deal right out of college, was flying on the Nike jet. He found incentive. He could have shut it down right then.”
Yet, Pat isn’t the sole Perez to take a swipe at Woods, as the LIV sensation’s spouse, Ashley, didn’t hold back either. Her dig came in the wake of Woods’ harrowing car accident in 2021, which many feared spelt the end of his career, with Ashley scathingly posting on Instagram: “Literally why driving under the influence is ILLEGAL. I don’t feel bad for him. Thank god he didn’t kill anyone. See ya.”
At the time, Woods was cleared of any allegations of driving under the influence, leading to a swift removal of the post by Perez’s wife.
Perez won three titles during his time on the PGA Tour: the Bob Hope Classic in 2009, the OHL Classic at Mayakoba in 2016 and the CIMB Classic in 2017. He finished in a tie for third at the Players Championship in 2006 and has one top-10 finish at the majors, which came in 2005 at the PGA Championship (finishing in a tie for sixth).
Greg Norman will stay at LIV Golf – but is set to be replaced as CEO of the Saudi Arabia-funded series.
LIV Golf’s arrival as a rival to the PGA Tour sent shockwaves throughout the world of sports. LIV Golf immediately made its presence felt, signing some of the game’s biggest names in an attempt to fracture the PGA Tour’s grip on professional golf.
Norman has signed the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Jon Rahm to LIV Golf. But in June 2023, reports emerged suggesting LIV Golf had agreed to merge with the PGA Tour to end golf’s divide.
The merger ensured the pending legal dispute between the tours was to be placed on the back burner to attempt to co-exist as a single entity, with a signed agreement seemingly set to combine the PGA Tour and LIV’s commercial operations and rights into a new company, along with the DP World Tour.
Tense negotiations have been ongoing for some time now, with both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy insisting Noman needed to step down to end “animosity” between the two tours. McIlroy in particular declared he believed Norman “had to go” in order to push through a merger.
He said in November 2022: “There’s a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen. I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. He’s made his mark, but I think now is the right time to sort of say, ‘Look, you’ve got this thing off the ground, but no one is going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.”
Woods echoed Mcilroy’s statements, with the 15-time major champion suggested the Australian was looking to “destroy” the PGA Tour. “Greg has to go,” Woods said back in 2022. Asked whether LIV and golf’s traditional tours can co-exist, Woods said: “Not right now, not with their leadership, not with Greg there and his animosity towards the tour itself. I don’t see that happening.
As Rory said, I think Greg’s got to leave and then we can eventually, hopefully, have a stay between the two lawsuits and figure something out. But why would you change anything if you’ve got a lawsuit against you? They sued us first. I see that there’s an opportunity out there if both organizations put a stay on their litigation but that’s the problem, they’ve got to put a stay on it.
“I think it has to start with leadership on their side. Understanding that what is happening right now is not the best fit or future for the whole game of golf. Now, what is the best way for our game to grow? It’s not this way. You need to have the two bodies come together. If one side has so much animosity, someone trying to destroy our tour, then how do you work with that?”
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV Golf, has been looking for a new CEO for the circuit to take over from Norman. Once the new hire is installed, Norman is expected to maintain a leadership role within LIV Golf.
At the recent Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan played alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan and McIlroy throughout the week. DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings was also playing, leading fans to believe that a breakthrough in negotiations is imminent.
Tiger Woods has this month dropped a new ‘Cashmere Collection’ over at his Sun Day Red apparel company, but a large number of golf fans have been instantly turned off after seeing the cost involved to purchase any of the items.
Woods, 48, shocked the world of last year when he announced he was terminating his 27-year deal with sports giant Nike.
The former World No.1 then announced his new Sun Day Red brand, featuring golf clothing and golf shoes.
Woods officially launched Sun Day Red into the golf industry four months ago on 1 May.
While very much a luxury golf brand, a number of Tiger Woods fans have been unable to get involved with their hero’s new gear simply because it costs too much.
Some Woods fans have already complained about the styles and overall quality of products, while others are still coming to terms with the company logo that resembles a Tiger made up of 15 lines paying homage to Woods’ 15 career major titles.
And don’t even start some people on the name of the brand, which of course reflects Woods always wearing red on Sundays during final rounds of tournaments.
When Woods first launched his new Sun Day Red logo to the world, his former long-time coach Butch Harmon joked during a live Sky Sports Golf broadcast that he thought it ‘looked more like Tiger’s spine.’
The new line features 3D Tour Cashmere Vests, Crew Sweaters and Hoodies.
Prices range from $300 to $375.
The Sun Day Red website states:
‘Our cashmere sweaters and vests are crafted for those who demand the best, both on and off the course. Engineered to reduce pilling and last longer, these have quickly become Tiger’s favorite layering pieces to make a clean, quiet, understated statement.’
Golf fans have been reacting to the new drop of clothing after the update was posted on X / Twitter by the popular NUCLR Golf account.
🚨👕⛳️ #NEW — Tiger Woods’ luxury brand Sun Day Red just released their ‘Cashmere Collection’ with prices ranging from $250-$375 USD. @TWlegion
A number of golf fans have been instantly turned off by the cost involved, even if cashmere is considered a luxury fiber.
Others are struggling to get their heads around how the Sun Day Red logo isn’t even visible on the items other than on the label inside the neck.
Here’s how a number of golf fans have reacted to the new Sun Day Red Cashmere Collection…
Love Tiger to death but nah…
Bruh seriously?! 350 for a hoodie is outrageous!
Far too expensive.
Sun Day Red just goes to show how out of touch Eldrick is…
These keep getting worse and worse…
Great way to grow the game… let’s stick a sweater up at $300.
Where even is the logo?! LOL
Logo is terrible.
Huge tiger fan and I ordered a bunch of the early items. The quality is pretty bad considering their price point and it’s such bland stuff. Minimal logos. etc. really not a fan. Kills me to say.
Love Tiger, dude cannot dress himself off the course.
Honest question apart from Tiger (obvs) has anyone seen another person on earth wearing this?
Might get involved if it comes down in price by 125 dollars!
Big Tiger fan but this look very ordinary.
It’s a hard pass from me.
Ridiculous. Why is anyone giving this guy money for overpriced apparel?
Such a boring line, no thank you.
What’s the most popular item at Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red?
One of Tiger Woods’ most popular products at Sun Day Red right now is his new Luare Chain Stitch Hoodie, available for $135.
Woods last played a competitive tournament when missing the cut at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon in July.
The 15-time major champion has now missed the cut in his last three majors and he finished dead last (60th) of those that made the cut at The Masters in April.
Many consider Woods is coming to the end of his PGA Tour career now, although there is hope he will decide to tee it up on the PGA Tour Champions in two years’ time – once he has reached the age of 50 – where he will be afforded the use of a golf cart.
Woods, now ranked 969th in the world, admits he will likely not tee it up again until his ‘next major’ alongside his son Charlie Woods at the annual PNC Championship just before Christmas.
That will fall at a similar time to when PGA Tour duo Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler battle it out against LIV Golf duo Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face off against LIV Golf duo Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the first match between golf’s two rival tours.
The made-for-TV clash will take place in Las Vegas in December and will pit the PGA Tour’s two biggest stars against two of the most widely-known figures on LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed circuit founded in 2021.
First reported by Golfweek, McIlroy confirmed the face-off and said: ‘I’m thrilled to partner with Scottie in what promises to be an exciting duel against Bryson and Brooks in Vegas this December.
‘This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energize the fans. We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.’
All three other players have also confirmed the match, which will be broadcast by TNT and follow on from their nine previous editions of The Match, a series of exhibition golf events that began in 2018 with Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson.
DeChambeau and Koepka were previously known for their hostile relationship and competed against each other in an earlier edition of The Match. Since both moving to LIV, they have seemingly reconciled their differences.
World No.3 McIlroy, meanwhile, will come face-to-face with DeChambeau for the first time properly since dramatically losing the US Open to the American back in June.
The Northern Irishman will team up alongside Scheffler who just collected a $25 million bonus for winning last week’s season-ending FedEx Cup.
The contest will not include prize money but all four players are reportedly set to receive an appearance fee.
Perhaps more notably, the clash hints at an easing in tensions between the two rival tours which still remain locked in talks over a potential merger after 15 months of negotiations.
Any potential deal could see Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls Premier League club Newcastle United as well as LIV, come onboard as co-owners of the PGA Tour alongside a US-based sports consortium.
However, at last week’s Tour Championship, the Tour’s commissioner Jay Monahan refused to provide a meaningful update, insisting negotiations were ‘complex’.
‘They’re going to take time. They have taken time, and they will continue to take time,’ he said.
‘But I’m not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics. All I can say is that conversations continue, and they’re productive.’
Golf fans react to Scottie Scheffler’s response to a reporter who asked him why he shanked a bunker shot en route to FedEx Cup victory.
A golf reporter was left red-raced when Scottie Scheffler responded to his question about why he shanked a bunker shot at the Tour Championship on Sunday.
Despite his shocking wedge malfunction that led to a bogey on the short par-4 8th, Scheffler dusted himself down on the back nine and sprinted away for a deserved victory that saw him crowned FedEx Cup champion.
When pressed for comment on how it happened, the World No.1 talked things through in the most Scheffler way possible.
“I shanked it,” he replied.
The reporter said: “Why did you shank it?”
Scheffler then mocked the reporter’s question:
“So there’s a — the club, there’s this straight part of the face and then over here is the hosel, and on that one specifically I caught too much of that part of the face. That’s why it went to the right. It’s shaped kind of — a little curve.
“If I hit the straight part it’s going to go that way, and then if I hit this part it’s going to come towards you.”
The reporter said: “I know the season, thanks.”
Ask stupid questions get stupid answers @ForePlayPod
Despite the shank on 8, which marked a third bogey in his last four holes, Scheffler proceeded to birdie the next three holes to take full control of the tournament once again.
He then poured home an eagle on the par-5 14th to seal the deal.
Scheffler finished four shots clear of Collin Morikawa on 30-under par.
The win marks Scheffler’s seven official title on the PGA Tour this season and an eighth overall following his Olympic gold medal in Paris.
LIV Golf League player Ian Poulter posted a cryptic message as PGA Tour Jay Monahan delivered an update on PIF talks.
Ian Poulter posted a cryptic message as PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan delivered an ‘update’ on peace talks with LIV Golf’s financiers.
Monahan spoke to reporters before the Tour Championship where the most pressing topic was how discussions are going with the breakaway tour’s financial backers.
The PGA Tour commissioner offered little of substance, but he insisted that negotiations between the North American circuit and the Saudi PIF continue to move forward.
Monahan stressed the Tour was not going to negotiate in public and there is no set deadline for a deal to be ratified that would ‘bring the best players in the world back together’.
Poulter was a keen observer to Monahan’s news conference and reacted in real time on his Instagram stories.
The European Ryder Cup legend wrote: “I just have to laugh and sigh at the same time. Sad.
“I wonder if anyone will have the balls to question it or pull it apart.
“I bet they don’t. Let’s wait and see. IYKYK.”
“Or are the puppets going to be puppets? I wonder.”
Poulter added that ‘none of them’ have the [sic] to actually do their jobs.”
The Englishman was among the first wave of golfers to join LIV Golf in 2022.
He has consistently criticised the PGA Tour, Monahan and former DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.
It’s not just Poulter who is appears to be at his wit’s end.
A frustrated Rory McIlroy also complained about the lack of progress that has been made after his opening round at the season finale at East Lake.
“I think anyone that cares about golf, I think has to be frustrated,” the 35-year-old said.
“I think anyone that cares about the PGA Tour has to be frustrated because we’re—we, the royal we, we’re not putting forward the absolute best product that we can.”
McIlroy said the Tour needs its villains back.
“I just think it’s gone on long enough,” he added.
“We’ve got to try to, I mean, I think everyone is trying to find a solution.
PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger talks continue, however, Commissioner Jay Monahan has admitted thrashing out a deal has been complex and will take time to complete
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has admitted that long-running merger talks with LIV Golf are proving to be very complex with no deadline for a deal set.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and PIF, the Saudi backers of LIV Golf, signed a framework agreement on June 6, 2023, which would bring more than $1 billion of investment. However, the deadline for that agreement expired Dec. 31.
Negotiations continue and PGA Tour Commissioner Monahan provided an update on Wednesday at a news conference ahead of this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.
“You look at where we are right now, we’re in regular dialogue, we have the right people at the table with the right mindset,” he said. “I see that in all these conversations on both sides, that creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together.”
“At the same time, these conversations are complex, they’re going to take time,” he conceded. “They have taken time and they will continue to take time.
“When I sit here today, I think the most important thing is our obligation to fans, players and partners is to focus on what we control, which we’re doing as I outlined and continue to carry this momentum forward. I’m not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics, but all I can say is that conversations continue and they’re productive.”
Following the deadline passing at the end of last year, the PGA announced it had received a huge investment. The Tour was handed $1.5 billion in investment, with up to $3 billion available, thanks to Sports Group to form PGA Tour Enterprises.
The consortium includes Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Fenway Sports Group owner John W. Henry, who owns Premier League side Liverpool, as well as the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Penguins, The Boston Globe, and RFK Racing. PGA Tour Enterprises chairman Joe Gorder and Henry are at the forefront of negotiations with the Saudis, and they’ve been joined on a transactional subcommittee by Tiger Woods and Adam Scott.
“I think when you get into productive conversations, that enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes, and that enhances the spirit of those very conversations. I think that’s where things stand,” Monahan added.
The Tour Championship starts on Thursday and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler holds a two-shot advantage over No. 2 Xander Schauffele. Scheffler, 28, who has six Tour wins this year, including the Masters, also won Olympic gold in Paris. However, Since the 2019 format change, no player who has started the Tour Championship at the top of the leaderboard has gone on to win it.
Irish golfer starts seven shots behind the world number one at the Tour Championship, with a $25 million-winning FedEx Cup prize in sight
If not quite the promised land, Shane Lowry – finally – has reached the famed East Lake Golf Club in the suburbs of Atlanta where the megabucks Tour Championship closes the PGA Tour’s season. After years of effort, he gets to be a part of the great divvy-up.
“It’s almost embarrassing that I haven’t been here,” admitted Lowry, adding. “It’s always a goal at the start of the year and, thankfully, this year I got to achieve it.”
Lowry’s strong campaign stateside – highlighted, to date, by teaming-up with Rory McIlroy to win the Zurich Classic in New Orleans in a season which has yielded six top-10s – has the Offaly man placed in 13th of the 30-man field headed into the opening round of the Tour Championship and, like everyone, playing catch-up to world number one Scottie Scheffler as the tournament has a staggered reward system in play.
In Lowry’s case, he will start out seven shots behind Scheffler. In the case of Rory McIlroy, he will be six adrift.
“I give shots to my friends every day at home, but my friends are not Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele. I think, yeah, it is new, but a good start the first day and you’re back in the tournament … in my head I’m seeing it as like a five-round event that I’ve got three-under the first round and I’m seven back of the leader and I need to kind of pick away at that over the four days and see where it leaves me on Sunday,” explained Lowry of how he would approach the task of playing catch-up.
But it can be done. In 2022, McIlroy – in claiming a third FedEx Cup title – started the Tour Championship six shots behind Scheffler and won by one.
Indeed, Lowry’s long-time failure to reach East Lake could, ironically, be in his favour on finally managing to earn a place in the field. The course has undergone a remarkable transformation since Viktor Hovland triumphed a year ago, to the point that players have likened it to playing a brand new course.
“Everybody keeps saying how different it is, but it’s obviously just a new golf course for me, so I don’t really know anything different, which is great.
“It’s great to hear the lads moaning about it inside the locker room, and I’m happy with what I see. It’s going to play quite difficult. If you miss fairways you’re going to struggle to make pars, and it’s going to be hard to get the ball close to the pins.
“It’ll be interesting to see how it plays. But new golf courses always play really firm and fast, and that’s what this is doing. It’s in great shape. The chipping areas and the greens and everything about the place is in great shape. It should make for a great tournament,” said Lowry, who has expended a lot of energy in an exhausting schedule which has seen him play four straight weeks – Olympics, Wyndham, St Jude and BMW – with this tour finale making for a fifth.
Of that schedule, Lowry claimed: “I’m pretty tired, but I think I’ve managed myself pretty well over the last five weeks. I’m feeling okay. Look, my adrenaline [levels], if you can’t get up for a tournament like this and you can’t keep it going for four days on a week like this you’re in the wrong game, so I’ll be fine.”
The €89 million ($100m) pot of gold to be divvied up between the 30 players – with the winner getting the lion’s share (€22.3m/$25m) – would certainly provide the perfect antidote to any tiredness and Lowry’s upcoming schedule will continue to be demanding as he intends to shift course to Europe for a spell that takes in the Amgen Irish Open, the BMW PGA and the Spanish Open.
“I’ve just done three weeks away from my family, my kids. I’m about to do another good run going back to Europe. That’s probably the most difficult part for me. It’s nothing to do with the fatigue levels and the getting up for golf, but when you’re FaceTiming your kids and they’re asking you when you’re going to be home and it’s not going to be for another three weekends, that always gets hard.
“But it is what it is; that’s what we have to do. Going back to play the Irish Open and Wentworth is going to be two big tournaments for me. The Irish Open means a lot to me, and Wentworth, I’ve done quite well there in the past and I really love the tournament.
“Going back and playing in those and then Madrid the week after, I have a big stint away, but after that I’ll have some time off. I’ll have plenty of time off this winter to get ready for 2025. But I have still a lot of golf to play.”
And, in money terms, none as big as this week.
Tour Championship
Purse: €89 million (€22.3m to the winner)
Where: Atlanta, Georgia, USA
The course: East Lake Golf Club – 7,490 yards par 71 – has been home to the Tour Championship since it was introduced in 2007 and, of course, was the home course of the legendary Bobby Jones. Some things have changed since Viktor Hovland triumphed last year, however. Andrew Green – who has established quite a reputation as a course architect/renovator – was commissioned to bring the course back to how it was in Jones’ day and used aerial photographs from 1949 along with archival photographs to do so. The project took just 10 months to complete and also features new grasses on fairways and greens while the 14th has been extended to a par 5.
“It’s basically a new golf course from what it was before. It’s not really at all the same. The greens, since they’re new, are extremely firm, which I think makes it more challenging. It’ll be tough to access some of the hole locations. I think we’ll have a bit to learn in terms of golf course set-up,” claimed Scottie Scheffler of his first impressions of the remake.
The field: The end game of the season and of the FedEx Cup playoffs leaves just 30 players remaining for the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup titles. Scottie Scheffler, the world number one, begins with a head start on everyone. Scheffler is 10 under before hitting a ball, with Xander Schauffele on eight under and Hideki Matsuyama on seven under … Rory McIlroy is playing catchup from four under, while Shane Lowry starts on three under.
Quote-Unquote: “If last year was a nine out of 10, I’d probably say we’re still at a five, four out of 10 right now. I know I can still shoot good numbers, but it just feels like it’s a little bit more hard work. It’s tougher for me to kind of string the good rounds together day by day.” – defending champion Viktor Hovland comparing his game with 12 months ago.
Irish in the field: Rory McIlroy – a three-time winner of the FedEx Cup – is paired with Ryder Cup team-mate Ludvig Aberg (Thursday, 6.38pm Irish time); Shane Lowry, competing in the Tour Championship for the first time, is paired with Adam Scott (5.49pm).
Betting: Most of the time, Scottie Scheffler doesn’t require a head-start to get the job done. So, with a two-stroke lead from the off over Xander Schauffele and all of 10 on a quintet of players that includes Justin Thomas, it is no wonder to find the Olympic gold medallist installed as the red hot 11-10 favourite with Schauffele at 23-10 … still, it may be worth looking at Sam Burns – available at 33-1 – who starts out six back.
On TV: Live coverage on Sky Sports+ from 4.15pm and on Sky Sports Golf from 6pm.
Despite an illustrious career in golf which many pro players can only dream of, Tiger Woods admitted he has one regret about his journey in particular.
Tiger Woods claimed he has just one regret in his life. From a prestigious 28-year pro golf career, the 48-year-old Californian has racked up almost every accolade since turning pro back in 1996 at the tender age of 20, winning 15 majors and 82 PGA Tour events.
And despite becoming the world’s youngest-ever Masters winner in 1997 after outperforming the likes of Tom Kite, Tommy Tolles and Tom Watson with a total score of -18, Woods said that he rues turning pro when he did. When probed on the toughest moment of his life by CBS Sports, the legend of the game said: “The only regret I have in life is not spending another year at Stanford, and I wish I would’ve had one more year.”
The interviewer then probed: “Of all the things that’s happened to you?” To which Woods responded: “All the things and that’s all.” Arguably one of Woods’ biggest regrets in his lifetime would be his infidelity with ex-wife Elin Nordegren, with the pro having secret affairs with as many as 16 women during his marriage.
Through his affairs, Woods’ sponsorship deals with the likes of Nike, Gatorade and Gillette disappeared, with the star admitting: “I was unfaithful. I had affairs. I cheated. What I did was not acceptable,” after his actions came to light.
With all things considered, Woods was probed further in his interview with CBS with: “Everything?” Woods continued: “All the things I’ve been through are tough, yes. They’ve been tough, but they’ve been great for me, but I wish I would’ve gone one more year at Stanford.”
Woods enrolled at the prestigious university in 1994 through a golf scholarship, winning the 40th Annual William H. Tucker Invitational in the September.
He chose economics for his major while studying over the next two years, while tearing it up on the golf courses with Stanford Men’s Golf team. Despite spending just two years at the university, Woods racked up an impressive 11 tournament wins – tying the record for most tournaments taken.
Speaking about his time at Stanford, Woods said: “I had such a great time playing golf at Stanford. Just all the practicing, playing and qualifying. It was always fun being around each other. What sets Stanford apart is the combination of quality athletics with an unmatched educational experience.
“Our Provost was Condeleeza Rice. My economics teacher was one of President Clinton’s advisors. You don’t see that at most schools. It was so intellectually stimulating to be challenged all the time. There was no way I could compete against some of those people. They were so smart. One kid had a photographic memory, and another built a computer from scratch.”
He added: “I really enjoyed being stimulated by the students and professors. Some were geniuses and others were Olympic athletes. It’s amazing how well-rounded they are. That’s what’s so cool about it. You must soak up that experience. It was one of the best times in my life.”
Despite regretting his decision to leave Stanford prematurely, the move ultimately paid off in the long run as Woods carved an incredible pro career after his initial Masters win of 1997. Fast forward to 2024 and the golfing great has four PGA Championships to his name, five Masters wins, three US Opens and three Open Championships.
He also has 82 PGA Tour wins in total, and has spent a whopping 683 weeks at World No.1 – more than any other pro golfer in history. While his last major win came in the form of his fifth Masters in 2019 – pipping the likes of Xander Schauffele, Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson by a single stroke – Woods has shown no signs of slowing down, appearing at all four majors this year, albeit only making the cut at the Masters at Augusta in April.
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