Tiger Woods turned down an offer that Greg Norman says was “somewhere in that neighborhood” of $700 million to $800 million to take part in the Saudi-sponsored LIV Golf Series. During an appearance on Fox News with Tucker Carlson that aired Monday night, Norman confirmed what he told the Washington Post in a story two months ago. Norman told the Post in June that the offer was “amazingly huge. We’re talking high nine figures.” Woods has been opposed to LIV Golf since late last year and made his strongest comments at the British Open when he said players who took money funded by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund had “turned their backs” on PGA Tour that made them famous. It was not clear when an offer was made to Woods. “That number was out there before I became CEO. So that number was out there, yes,” Norman said in the Fox News interview, which took place Sunday at Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey, home of the third LIV Golf Invitational. “And, look, Tiger is a needle and of course you have to look at the best of the best,” said Norman. “So they had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO. So, yes, that number was somewhere in that neighborhood.” Various reports from the UK said that Phil Mickelson received a $200 million signing bonus, while Dustin Johnson received $150 million. The 48-person fields, which play 54 holes without a cut, offer $25 million in prize money at each event. Norman has announced a 14-tournament schedule for next year. LIV Golf currently has only one player — Johnson at No. 18 — among the top 20 in the world. The source of the funding has led to heavy criticism of the series and the players recruited, because it is seen as an attempt to distract from its human rights record and links to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Asked why his rival tour caused such an uproar among American golf fans, Norman answered bluntly: “I don’t know.” “I really don’t care,” Norman said. “I just love the game so much and I want to grow the game of golf and we at LIV see this opportunity not only for men but for women as well.” The LIV Golf Invitational is off for a month during the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup playoffs, returning on Labor Day weekend about an hour west of Boston, then two weeks later playing in suburban Chicago.
