Tiger Woods was right about LIV Golf all along – and now he has the last laugh

Tiger Woods tried to tell us. Nobody wanted to listen.

Now, with LIV Golf officially heading towards liquidation after five turbulent seasons, the 15-time major champion has had the ultimate last laugh.

While some of golf's biggest names were seduced by Saudi millions, Woods questioned the breakaway league's very foundations. He warned about its business model, its impact on competitive golf and the future opportunities available to younger players.

Four years later, his words look remarkably prophetic.

Woods didn't hold back at St Andrews

The defining moment came at the 150th Open Championship in July 2022, just a month after LIV Golf staged its first tournament in England.

Asked about players defecting to the breakaway league, Woods delivered a brutally honest assessment.

"The players who have chosen to go to LIV and to play on -- to play there, I disagree with it," Woods told reporters in the media centre at St Andrews in July 2022.

"I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position.

"Some players have never got a chance to even experience it. They've gone right from the amateur ranks right into that organisation and never really got a chance to play out here and what it feels like to play a Tour schedule or to play in some big events."

Woods was particularly concerned about younger players potentially sacrificing their chances of competing in golf's biggest championships.

"Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships. That is a possibility," he added.

Woods also questioned the incentive to practice and compete when players were receiving enormous guaranteed contracts.

Phil Mickelson reportedly accepted a LIV Golf deal worth around $200 million, with Dustin Johnson believed to have received approximately $150 million. 

Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau were all reportedly offered deals in the region of $100 million.

Jon Rahm then landed the biggest LIV Golf deal of all, reportedly agreeing to a contract worth around $350 million when he joined at the end of 2023. The Spaniard backed up his price tag by winning three consecutive Individual Championships.

But at St Andrews more than four years ago now, Woods questioned what such extraordinary financial guarantees meant for the competitive spirit of the game.

Woods told reporters at the Home of Golf: "But what these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice? 

"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."

Woods' conclusion was equally damning.

"I just don't see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players, especially if the LIV organisation doesn't get world-ranking points and the major championships change their criteria for entering the events."

At the time, Woods attracted plenty of criticism. Many LIV players and supporters argued that they were entitled to maximise their earnings and embrace a new opportunity.

Fast forward four years – and look what happened

Following the withdrawal of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund backing beyond the 2026 season, LIV struggled to find a sustainable future.

A proposed $300 million investment from BC Partners briefly offered hope of a LIV 2.0, but that deal collapsed.

On November 5, LIV announced plans to wind down its operations and move towards liquidation.

Five seasons, billions of dollars and a hugely disruptive chapter in professional golf – and ultimately, the project could not find a way forward.

It is difficult not to think back to Woods' warnings.

According to former LIV CEO Greg Norman, the American was offered between $700 million and $800 million to join the breakaway league, but turned it down.

Of course, players who accepted LIV's money were entitled to make their own decisions. 

The financial security was extraordinary, and Rahm's success showed that joining the league did not mean abandoning competitive ambition.

But Woods was looking at the bigger picture. He questioned the sustainability of the business, the competitive incentives and the potential consequences for professional golf.

His legacy was already untouchable, with 15 major titles and 82 PGA Tour victories.

But his refusal to join LIV deserves recognition, too.

He saw the warning signs when the money was flowing and the league appeared unstoppable. He stood his ground when others disagreed.

And now, as LIV Golf prepares to wind down, perhaps the question is no longer whether Woods was right.

It's why so many people doubted him in the first place.