Tiger Woods Pledges Allegiance To PGA Tour - "That's Where My Legacy Is"

A fair amount has been made over the last few years about the threat of breakaway leagues in golf. However, on Tuesday, one of golfs greats made his intentions clear, stating that "I'm supporting the PGA Tour, that's where my legacy is."

Recently, Tiger Woods has been sending the golfing world into a frenzy. Firstly, the 15-time Major champion released a short video on his social platforms of him hitting golf balls for the first time since his February car accident.

Then, speaking to Golf Digest on Monday, Woods revealed his intention to return to the PGA Tour, stating he would "pick and choose" the events he features in. 

Now, at a pre-tournament interview at the Hero World Challenge, the golfing great expressed his thoughts on the breakaway leagues, making it very clear where his head lies with them and what would happen if a player came to him for advice on whether they should join one.

"It's going to be his decision, period," said the 45-year-old. "I've decided for myself that I'm supporting the PGA Tour, that's where my legacy is. I've been fortunate enough to have won 82 events on this Tour and 15 Major championships and been a part of the World Golf Championships, the start of them and the end of them. So I have an allegiance to the PGA Tour. 

"And I understand that some of the comparisons is very similar to when Arnold and Jack broke off from the PGA of America to start the Tour. I don't see it that way. I think the Tour has done a fantastic job, Jay's done an unbelievable job during a very difficult time during the pandemic, when there was ample opportunities for players to leave, but we were the first sporting Tour to start.

"So with that, yes, did we have some protocol issues at times? Yes, we had to learn on the fly, but Jay and the staff had done an incredible job of that. I think the Tour is in great hands, they're doing fantastic, and prize money's going up. It's just not guaranteed money like most sports are. It's just like tennis, you have to go out there and earn it."

Woods, who is currently tied with Sam Snead for most PGA Tour career victories, has made a remarkable recovery after sustaining open fractures to the tibia and fibula. At one point, amputation to his right leg was a very real possibility. Now though, the 82-time PGA Tour champion is focusing on a possible return, with Woods back to chipping, putting and hitting golf shots.

As Woods recovers, he is still playing a big part of the Tour, making a huge impact at events despite not being able to feature in them as a player: "I've hosted the Genesis event, I host this event here, the Hero World Challenge, and I think those two events alone is a lot," he says.

"I'm friends with the majority of the players that are atop of the world rankings, and they text, call, FaceTime, do a bunch of different things. I can still be a part of the Tour, even though I'm not playing it."