"Going in wrong direction" Golf legend BLASTS PGA Tour's latest "huge mistake"

Golf legend Tom Watson admits the PGA Tour made a "huge mistake" by striking a deal with PIF without any player involvement.

Andy Roberts

25 Aug 2023

"Going in wrong direction" Golf legend BLASTS PGA Tour's latest "huge mistake" — "Going in wrong direction" Golf legend BLASTS PGA Tour's latest "huge…

Golf legend Tom Watson has slammed the PGA Tour for making a "huge mistake" in forming an alliance with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Watson, 73, told the Five Clubs podcast this week the PGA Tour was completely wrong to strike a deal with LIV Golf's bankrollers without any player power behind it.

The eight-time major champion's latest remarks about the circuit's shock merger with Saudi PIF come two months after he penned an open to commissioner Jay Monahan.

Watson, who won 39 times in his career on the PGA Tour, thinks making decisions without any player participation is only going to send the circuit in the "wrong direction".

Tiger Woods recently joined the PGA Tour's policy board, but that was two months after the alliance was made with PIF.

Woods, 47, finally broke his silence this month.

Related: Woods to fix LIV Golf mess?

The 15-time major champion now joins Rory McIlroy, Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati as PGA Tour players on the board.

With now half of the 12-seat board backed by players, it means they will have a final say on all future matters on the PGA Tour.

Watson thinks restructure of the board was badly needed after the PGA Tour struck a deal with PIF without any player involvement in early June.

Speaking on the Five Clubs Podcast this week, Watson said:

"I think the Board needed a restructuring so that the players had voting power because this is a players’ organisation. This organisation went outside of the due process. It wasn’t transparent at all. There were no players involved at all in the negotiations with PIF and Yasir [Al-Rumayyan]. That needed to be. That was a huge mistake, I think, and I think the players thought so too. A single player needed to be involved in that, at least. We have people that are making decisions that are really shaping the future of PGA Tour golf and without player participation in those decisions, we’re going in the wrong direction."

Watson's latest remarks fall the same week Monahan revealed the PGA Tour's latest dealings with PIF.

Monahan also addressed the potential for LIV Golf players to return to the PGA Tour, and also provided an update on his health following a brief period away from his role as commissioner.

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