Report: Woods To Fly In For PGA Tour Player Meeting Amid LIV Golf Threat

Tiger Woods will reportedly fly in and headline a meeting with fellow PGA Tour stars amid the ongoing threat placed on the established ecosystem by LIV Golf. The meeting between the 15-time Major champion and the group is said to take place in Wilmington, Delaware, the host town of this week's second FedEx Cup Playoff event, the BMW Championship. 

"It's a meeting to get the top-20 players in the world on the same page on how we can continue to make the PGA Tour the best product in professional golf," an anonymous PGA Tour insider told ESPN. 

A PGA Tour Player Advisory Council (PAC) meeting is also scheduled for Tuesday, where according to Fire Pit Collection, "everything is on the table, from Major championship boycotts to Monahan's future to a larger compromise." ESPN report that Commissioner Monahan will also sit down with players individually.

Many expected the arrival of the LIV Golf Series to be gradual but with the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed alongside Ryder Cup stalwarts Lee Westwood, Ian Pouter, Sergio Garcia and recently denounced captain, Henrik Stenson having joined the Saudi-backed venture, even the harshest critic cannot ignore its rapid ascendency.

Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman recently announced plans to expand the Series into a fully fledged League in 2023, with 48 players and 12 established team franchises competing in an expanded 14-tournament schedule – and an enormous $405m total prize purse, a huge increase on the $225m on offer for this year’s eight-tournament Series.

The future plans, which will reportedly include events in Australia, appear to have caught the eye of recently crowned Open champion, Cameron Smith who has reportedly signed a $100m deal to join his fellow countryman's League.

The 28-year-old is expected to make his LIV Golf debut in Boston in September, after the conclusion of the FedEx Cup Playoffs. He may feasibly do so as the reigning Open, Players and FedEx Cup champion as well as World No.1 in what would certainly be a huge blow to the PGA Tour.

Tiger Woods declined an offer of $700m-$800m to join the Saudi-backed venture, according to Greg Norman, and delivered his damning verdict on the rival circuit ahead of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews.

"I disagree with it," Woods said. "I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.

"And who knows what's going to happen in the near future with world ranking points, the criteria for entering Major championships. The governing body is going to have to figure that out. Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in Major championships. That is a possibility.

"What these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practise? What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You're just getting paid a lot of money up front and playing a few events and playing 54 holes. They're playing blaring music and have all these atmospheres that are different."

Those that have defected to the controversial LIV Golf Series have been suspended by the PGA Tour. The likes of Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia and South Africans Charl Schwartzel, Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace have all resigned their membership.