Tiger Woods condemned by 9/11 families over ‘disgusting’ meeting with LIV Golf chiefs

Tiger Woods was one of a number of representatives from the PGA Tour who met with members of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) in New York on Tuesday

Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods is involved in talks (Image: Getty Images)

Tiger Woods’ decision to meet with members of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) in New York on Tuesday has been labeled ‘disgusting’ by families affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Woods was one of a number of PGA Tour representatives who met with PIF this week, with the U.S.-based golf circuit in negotiations with the Saudi fund over ending the ongoing fallout between the Tour and LIV Golf. The meeting came just a day before the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

In total, 15 of the 19 attackers involved in the assault of the USA that day were Saudi nationals, however, the Saudi Arabian government has always denied any involvement in the attacks.

In a statement, 9/11 Justice president Brett Eagleson slammed Woods for taking part in the talks. “Tomorrow, we commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy,” he said on Tuesday. “Yet here we are today, in New York City, down the street from Ground Zero, and the PGA Tour and Tiger Woods are negotiating with them.

As has been confirmed in the last few weeks by CBS News reporting, the Saudi Arabian government played a role in the horrific attacks of 9/11. It is disgusting, unacceptable, and incredibly painful that the Tour and Woods would do this—especially now.”

This is not the first time Eagleson has criticized the PGA Tour’s involvement with the Saudi fund. Having initially condemned the formation of the Middle Eastern-funded LIV setup in 2022, the Tour opted to align with PIF last summer, announcing a framework agreement between the two sides.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan addressed the status of talks with LIV Golf during a recent press conference
The PGA Tour are working with PIF ( Image: Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
“All of these PGA players and PGA executives who were talking tough about Saudi Arabia have done a complete 180,” Eagleson said at the time “All of a sudden they’re business partners? It’s unconscionable.” Over 15 months on from the initial shock announcement, the Tour and PIF remain in negotiations.

These talks have continued in New York this week, with ESPN reporting that discussions include the topic of PIF investing a whopping $1 billion into the Tour’s new for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises. Providing a rare update on negotiations, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said: “You look at where we are right now, we’re in regular dialogue, we have the right people at the table with the right mindset.

“I see that in all these conversations on both sides, that creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together… At the same time, these conversations are complex, they’re going to take time,” he conceded. “They have taken time and they will continue to take time.

“I think when you get into productive conversations, that enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes, and that enhances the spirit of those very conversations. I think that’s where things stand.”