Tiger Woods may have been absent from competitive action since April, but his involvement in the PGA Tour has been as strong as ever. In August, he joined the PGA Tour Policy Board as a Player Director - a move that came in the wake of the Tour’s shock merger agreement with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) behind LIV Golf.
Before the Hero World Challenge, where he will make his first start since undergoing ankle surgery, Woods addressed his role and the circumstances that brought it about, admitting frustration at the lack of communication between the PGA Tour and its players over the deal that shocked golf.
He said: “My reaction was surprised as I'm sure a lot of the players were taken aback by it, by what happened. So quickly without any input or any information about it, it was just thrown out there. I was very surprised that the process was what it was.
“We were very frustrated with what happened and we took steps going forward to ensure that the player involvement was not going - we were not going to be left out of the process like we were. So part of that process was putting me on the board and accepting that position."
Following the news of the agreement, Monahan came under significant criticism from many quarters, including PGA Tour players, and faced calls to resign at a player meeting before the RBC Canadian Open. That initial anger has subsided, but Woods explained the situation was not something that could be repeated.
He added: “I think Jay has been a part of the direction, he understands what happened prior to that can't happen again and won't happen again, not with the players that are involved and not with the player directors having the role that we have.”
Despite his misgivings over the secretive way negotiations with the PIF were conducted, Woods offered his backing to Monahan. He said: “That was part of why I came on to the board is I did have faith in Jay and in what he could do going forward and what can't happen again.”
Talks are ongoing over a framework agreement, with a deadline set for 31 December on the direction of the game. However, even though Woods admitted the pace of the discussions is frustrating, he’s confident of a positive outcome.
"I'm pleased at the process and how it's evolved," he said. "Also frustrated in some of the slowness and the governance change that we want to have happen. And December 31st is coming up very quickly, so there's the timetable there that we would like to implement some of these changes that have not taken place.
“I am confident a deal will get done in some way. Whether that comes December 31st or is pushed back, we're all - all sides understand we're working together."
One of the sticking points could be the potential reintroduction of LIV Golf players to the PGA Tour, and Woods revealed a pathway is being worked on.
He said: “As far as a pathway, we're still working on that. That's part of the deal we're working through is trying to find a path, whatever that looks like. There's so many different scenarios. That's why I said there's a lot of sleepless hours trying to figure that out, a lot of participation from the players and what does that look like.”
Woods has been paired with Justin Thomas for his comeback, with the duo beginning their challenges at 11.52am ET (4.52pm GMT).
