“As the Tour grows, we grow” - Tiger Woods speaks to PGA Tour peers after SSG investment, calls it part of ‘sports history’

Tiger Woods is in full approval of the Strategic Sports Group’s $3 billion investment in the PGA Tour. According to reports, the ace golfer lauded the deal in the conference call attended by all stakeholders. Speaking to his peers on the call, which had Commissioner Jay Monahan and investors John Henry, Sam Kennedy, and Andy Cohen on it, Woods dubbed the deal a part of ‘sports history.’

Monahan’s called it a “landmark agreement,” while communicating the final deal. According to officials, the initial SSG investment is for $1.5 billion, which will grow to $3 billion over time. Giving his take on the deal, Woods urged his fellow players to ‘believe in the potential growth’ of it. Furthermore, he said that the players will ‘grow as the Tour grows.’

Speaking in the conference call detailing the SSG deal, Tiger Woods was quoted as saying by Golf.com:

“Hey everyone, this is Tiger Woods. Just wanted to say thank you, SSG, for believing in us and believing in our sport. Believing in the potential growth that we could enjoy together. Golf is an amazing sport. It has allowed communities to heal and grow. We, as a team, are going to offer that according to what we believe is the true compensation and meritocracy that our sport has been built upon for all these years."

"As has been described earlier, as the Tour grows, we grow. So, the more we invest into the Tour, the more we get the benefits of it. Which has never been, it’s never happened in sports history. So, we’re the first. Exciting for me to be able to be part of that,” he added.

It is pertinent to note that Tiger Woods has always been a staunch backer of the PGA Tour. The 48-year-old had earlier backed the circuit’s controversial framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s PIF.

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PGA Tour announces PGA Tour Enterprises in partnership with the Strategic Sports Group

The PGA Tour on Wednesday, January 31, announced PGA Tour Enterprises, the new for-profit venture. The program was developed in partnership with the billionaire sports team owners’ consortium SSG.

The circuit made a press release detailing the move. According to the release, the SSG has invested $3 billion in the program.

The massive investment sum will look after the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s commercial business side. Meanwhile, the new venture will also have about 200 PGA Tour players become equity holders. Tiger Woods will have the most shares.

Announcing the new golf entity, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said, via PGA Tour:

“Today marks an important moment for the PGA TOUR and fans of golf across the world. By making PGA TOUR members owners of their league, we strengthen the collective investment of our players in the success of the PGA Tour… Fans win when we all work to deliver the best in sports entertainment and return the focus to the incredible – and unmatched – competitive atmosphere created by our players, tournaments and partners.”

It is pertinent to note that the SSG investment deal comes ahead of the PGA Tour’s deal with the PIF. The big-money alliance is expected to be announced sometime in 2024.