Tiger Woods' response to 'mind-blowingly enormous' LIV Golf offer sums him up
Tiger Woods showed his true colours by snubbing an 'enormous' offer to defect to LIV Golf. Three years on from its controversial launch, the rebel tour is back in the UK, which hosted the tour's maiden tournament at the Centurion Club in Hemel Hempstead.
This weekend, the JCB Golf and Country Club near Uttoxeter will host LIV stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson. One of the top players who declined to join LIV was Woods.
Greg Norman, who was LIV's CEO in 2022, approached the sporting icon about joining the breakaway series. In addition to his 15 major titles, only surpassed by Jack Nicklaus with 18, Woods is renowned for his daring and fearless approach to the game, which has made him a fan favourite.
Woods' exceptional talent inspired a generation, including making him Rory McIlroy's childhood hero, so it's no surprise that Norman wanted him at LIV. Norman, a two-time major winner himself, disclosed his offer to Woods when LIV launched three years ago.
Norman described his offer to Woods as "mind-blowingly enormous." He revealed: "We're talking about high nine digits."
However, Woods showed no interest in joining LIV Golf and emulating Mickelson's move. For a long time, Woods and Mickelson were the top two players in the world, holding the No.1 and No.2 positions in the rankings.
Woods, when questioned about joining Mickelson at LIV, said: "He has his opinion on where he sees the game of golf going.
"I have my viewpoint, how I see the game of golf. I've supported the Tour, and my foundation has run events on the Tour for a number of years. I just think that what Jack (Nicklaus) and Arnold (Palmer) have done in starting the Tour, breaking away from the PGA of America, and creating our tour in 1968... I just think there's a legacy to that."
Highlighting his commitment to the PGA Tour, he added: "I've been playing out here for a couple of decades, and I think there's a legacy to it. I still think that the Tour has so much to offer, so much opportunity.
"I understand different viewpoints, but I believe in legacies. I believe in major championships. I believe in big events, comparisons to historical figures of the past. There's plenty of money out here. The Tour is growing.
"But it's just like any other sport. It's like tennis. You have to go out there and earn it. You've got to go out there and play for it. We have opportunity to go ahead and do it. It's just not guaranteed up front."
Woods has demonstrated his commitment to the PGA Tour following LIV's inception, joining the PGA Tour's Policy Board in 2023 and playing a key role in discussions about a potential merger between the tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV.
Talks over the end of golf's civil war remain deadlocked following the "framework agreement" of 2023, which was supposed to pave the way to a peace deal. However, Woods' wish for the divisive Norman to step aside was realised earlier this year.
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The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Tour de France Femmes 2025: Lorena Wiebes wins stage three sprint but Vollering suffers crash
Update: Date: 2025-07-28T16:31:04.000Z Title: That's all for today. Content: Lorena Wiebes won a chaotic sprint in Angers while Marianne Vos reclaimed the yellow jersey Blood, sweat and gears: best images from the men's race William Fotheringham on Tadej Pogacar | Email Amy Amy Sedghi Mon 28 Jul 2025 18.21 CEST First published on Mon 28 Jul 2025 13.15 CEST 6.21pm CEST 18:21 As predicted, stage three ended in a bunch sprint, and the favourite for the win, SD Worx-Protime's Lorena Wiebes, took the victory. But there were also unexpected developments. A four-rider breakaway spiced up the day, with punchy moves from EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson, Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier, Movistar's Sara Martín and Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi's Catalina Soto Campos. In fact, Latimier – the only rider to be making her debut at the Tour this year and a professional for less than three months – was awarded the stage's most combative rider. There was also a dose of chaos, with a big crash at about 3.5km before the finish, which took down Demi Vollering. Looking very sore, she had to be helped up and pushed by her FDJ-Suez teammates towards the finish line. Thank you for reading today's live blog. There will be full race report from Jeremy Whittle posted here soon. 6.00pm CEST 18:00 Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez), 10pts Silke Smulders (Liv AlUla Jayco), 6pts Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly), 2pts Mavi García (Liv AlUla Jayco), 2pts Maud Rijnbeek (VolkerWessels Women's Pro Cycling Team), 2pts 5.57pm CEST 17:57 After the stage, Marianne Vos, who came second in the sprint finish and has regained the yellow jersey, spoke to reporters. Of the finish she said: It was very hectic … very fast. Of course everyone was fighting for potistion and I think when we went right on to the river there was a big crash behind me. I hope everyone is well. Asked about being back in the yellow jersey, the Visma-Lease a Bike rider said: That's a big bonus … I went from yellow to green to yellow. Updated at 6.09pm CEST 5.54pm CEST 17:54 Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), 130pts Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 112pts Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), 55pts Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), 53pts Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), 47pts 5.50pm CEST 17:50 Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 8hrs 19mins 6secs Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), +6secs Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), +12secs Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), +16secs Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), +19secs Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx Protime), +21secs Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), +21secs Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), +25secs Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), +25secs Chloé Dygert (Canyon/SRAM), +25secs 5.45pm CEST 17:45 1. Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) 2. Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) 3. Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) 4. Megan Jastrab (Picnic-PostNL) 5. Liane Lippert (Movistar) 5.39pm CEST 17:39 Lorena Wiebes unleashes her powerful sprint and she takes the win. Marianne Vos rolls over the line in second place. It was said before today's stage that this was Wiebes's to lose and it really was in the end. Updated at 5.42pm CEST 5.38pm CEST 17:38 1km to go: The lead outs for the sprinters are getting under way. Vos and Wiebes are in the mix. 5.36pm CEST 17:36 3km to go: Big crash at 3.4km to go. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) is down! None of the riders will lose time as it has happened in the 5km 'safe' zone but that's not of much solace to those that are hurt or wanting to compete in the sprint. Demi Vollering is also down and looks very sore. She's helped up by her team. Updated at 5.37pm CEST 5.33pm CEST 17:33 5km to go: The peloton are heading towards the finish, but have some speed bumps and road furniture to navigate. Lorena Wiebes is visible near the front. Updated at 5.34pm CEST 5.32pm CEST 17:32 7km to go: Soto Campos gets the jump on the other two in the breakaway and gets a small gap, but Jackson and Martín manage to catch her. Oh, and that's it for the break – the peloton, visible over their shoulders, has swallowed them up. A bunch sprint it is then! 5.29pm CEST 17:29 10km to go: Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier has been dropped from the breakaway. EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson puts the power down again but the trio are playing about attacking each other. The peloton are going to have an easier job bringing down the time gap if they don't work together. 5.18pm CEST 17:18 18km to go: According to the Tour race centre, the average race speed so far is about 43km/h. The breakaway's lead has been whittled down by the peloton – it now sits at just 38secs. Seven riders, including Magdeleine Vallieres (EF Education-Oatly) and Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE Team ADQ), are about 30secs off the back of the main bunch. 5.14pm CEST 17:14 After 21 stages and 3,338km, this year's Tour de France came to an end in Paris on Sunday. Here are the Guardian's favourite images from the last three weeks: 5.05pm CEST 17:05 27km to go: The gap between the break and the peloton has dropped to 1min 32secs. Here are the full results from the intermediate sprint earlier: Intermediate sprint result: 1. Jackson, 25pts 2. Soto Campos, 20pts 3. Latimier, 17pts 4. Martín, 15pts 5. Wiebes, 13pts 6. Vos, 11pts 7. Vollering, 10pts 8. Van Agt, 9pts 9. Bredewold, 8pts 10. Vas, 7pts 11. Kopecky, 6pts 12. Swinkels, 5pts 13. Andersen, 4pts 14. Le Net, 3pts 15. Gillespie, 2pts 4.55pm CEST 16:55 36km to go: Demi Vollering attacks at the end of the intermediate sprint and a group of about ten riders follow. The peloton have it under control and they don't get away. There's a crash near the back of the bunch. Eugenia Bujak of Cofidis looked as if she hit the ground hard but gets stiffly back on her bike. 4.51pm CEST 16:51 38km to go: As the peloton approach the intermediate sprint, Vos moves up as does Chabbey. Wiebes doesn't want to be left behind and pushes out on the left, making a big jump which underlines the power this sprinter has, and she crosses the line first. Updated at 5.12pm CEST 4.48pm CEST 16:48 40km to go: The breakaway approach the intermediate sprint with EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson on the front. The group decide to carry on working together rather than sprint individually for the line. It means their rhythm and pace isn't disrupted. 4.42pm CEST 16:42 44km to go: I've just come back from a holiday in France, so watching the peloton move through the villages, town and countryside is soothing to watch. Not sure if they're feeling the same vibes. The peloton continue to smoothly ride together, preparing for the more hectic sections later on in the run in to the finish. The breakaway have 2mins 43secs on the bunch. 4.34pm CEST 16:34 49km to go: The 142 riders in the peloton are 2mins 20secs behind the breakaway of four: EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson, Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier, Movistar's Sara Martín and Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi's Catalina Soto Campos. It's less than 10km now to the intermediate sprint. 4.21pm CEST 16:21 60km to go: SD Worx-Protime continue to drive the peloton, reducing that gap to the breakaway (now at 2mins 50secs). After a turn on the front, Martín moves over for Jackson to lead the breakaway. The four seem to be working well but there's still a way to go with the peloton after them. Updated at 4.35pm CEST 4.10pm CEST 16:10 67km to go: The peloton have been chipping away on the leading quartet's gap – it's down to 3mins now. Also, this is interesting via the race centre: Of the leading quartet, Clémence Latimier, is the only rider to be making her debut at the Tour this year. In fact the 21-year-old from Isère has been a professional for less than three months. 4.01pm CEST 16:01 Kim Le Court-Pienaar is loving being in the yellow jersey, so much so that she is also sporting a yellow helmet, bike and gloves today. Speaking to the race centre before stage three, the AG Insurance-Soudal rider said: It's incredible, I'm really happy. It was a bit of a surprise; I didn't expect to be in yellow. There are two sprint stages, today and tomorrow, and it's going to be tough. We can't stress too much or lose too much time; that's the goal today. If we lose the jersey tonight, that's fine. We'll try to regain it later when the course suits me a little better. I don't think my status in the peloton has changed. The others tell me it has. But I don't feel it! Updated at 4.27pm CEST 3.54pm CEST 15:54 80km to go: The breakaway (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) are still plugging away – they've lost about another 15secs on their lead but still have more than 3mins on the bunch. It's less than 40km now until the intermediate sprint. 3.41pm CEST 15:41 88km to go: The gap between the peloton and the breakaway has decreased slightly. It now stands at 3mins 34secs. SD Worx-Protime are driving the bunch, with its sprinter Lorena Wiebes visible in her European champion jersey. Updated at 3.51pm CEST 3.33pm CEST 15:33 97km to go: Former professional road and track cyclist Dani Rowe has been speaking on TNT Sports about the possible dangers in the approach to the finish line. She says there is a narrow pinch point after a slight downhill, plus railway line or tramtracks to ride over in another section. Matt Stephens spoke to Lorena Wiebes about the finish and she said she was excited for it. The SD Worx-Protime said: The final will be super hectic … I like it when the final is a bit more technical. 3.25pm CEST 15:25 99km to go: With under 100km to go, the breakaway (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have almost 4mins on the peloton. Email me with your predicitions. Do you think one of these four could take today's stage or will the peloton bring it back for a bunch sprint finish? 3.14pm CEST 15:14 109km to go: Margot Vanpachtenbeke (VolkerWessels Cycling Team) tried to get away from the peloton and bridge across but it was a big ask when the breakaway are so far ahead. She's been caught. Morgane Coston (Roland Le Dévoluy) and Valentina Cavallar (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) drop off the back of the peloton and lag by 10secs. Maeva Squiban (UAE Team ADQ) and Marion Bunel (Visma-Lease a Bike) are caught up in a crash in the peloton but they swiftly remount their bikes to continue. 3.04pm CEST 15:04 114km to go: The gap between the breakaway and the peloton just keeps growing. It now stands at 3mins 50secs. Although the break threatens the ambitions of those hoping for a bunch sprint, the yellow jersey wearer, AG Insurance-Soudal's Kim Le Court Pienaar shouldn't be worried. The best placed rider in the quartet, Alison Jackson was 11mins 59secs behind her on the GC at the start of today's stage. Updated at 3.44pm CEST 2.56pm CEST 14:56 119km to go: And there it is; the peloton have caught Avoine and Brauße. The breakaway (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have a sizeable 3mins 23secs on the bunch. The race radio has just warned about narrow roads coming up. 2.53pm CEST 14:53 122km to go: That means Jackson gets her first QOM points, snagging two, while Martín gets one mountains classification point. The chasing pair (Avoine and Brauße) are only 12secs ahead of the peloton so it's looking likely that they'll get caught soon. Meanwhile, the breakaway are increasing their gap. Updated at 4.01pm CEST 2.50pm CEST 14:50 126km to go: Jackson was the first to reach the summit of the Côte de la Richardière, followed by Martín. The front four have almost 3mins on the peloton now. The chasing duo (Avoine and Brauße) trail by 2mins 40secs. 2.44pm CEST 14:44 A favourite for today's stage, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) spoke to the Tour race centre before stage three. She said: I'm not too upset about yesterday, today's a new chance and also tomorrow so I'm excited for today's stage. The pressure [to win] is always there and we have to deal with it. It's not an easy job to finish it off. Sprint stages are always a bit tricky so we'll do our best and we'll go for the highest step of the podium. It's always special to win on the Tour de France, especially the first time when I won on the Champs-Élysées, it's something I will never forget. 2.38pm CEST 14:38 131km to go: As the riders head towards the only categorised climb of the day, the category four Côte de la Richardière (1.7km at 4.6%), the situation looks like this: Four riders (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have a gap of 2mins 35secs on the peloton, while behind the breakaway, the chasers (Avoine and Brauße) have joined together and are 1min 40secs behind the quartet. 2.33pm CEST 14:33 137km to go: The breakaway of four (Jackson, Latimier, Martín and Soto Campos) have increased the gap to the peloton and are now 1min 45secs ahead. Alison Avoine of St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 gives chase as does Franziska Brauße (Ceratizit Pro Cycling). 2.27pm CEST 14:27 141km to go: Aude Biannic tries to join her Movistar teammate in the breakaway. She's 10secs ahead of the peloton but 55secs behind the four out front. 2.22pm CEST 14:22 144km to go: A group of counterattackers go after the four out the front but it's not long before they're caught up by the peloton. The gap to the bunch grows to 35secs for the breakaway. 2.20pm CEST 14:20 148km to go: Brauße's attack doesn't stick and she's also swallowed up by the peloton. It's been a lively start with plenty of small attacks but the peloton is on high alert. Saying that though, a group of four manage to get away. It includes, EF Education-Oatly's Alison Jackson, Arkéa-B&B Hotels' Clémence Latimier, Movistar's Sara Martín and Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi's Catalina Soto Campos. They have about 20secs on the bunch. 2.09pm CEST 14:09 154km to go: Franziska Brauße (Ceratizit Pro Cycling) is the next to give it a go. So far, she's managed a 10sec gap on the peloton. A couple of other riders try to bridge across. 2.06pm CEST 14:06 157km to go: Justine Ghekiere (AG Insurance-Soudal) attacks and manages to briefly get ahead, but the peloton swiftly reel her back in. 2.03pm CEST 14:03 160km to go: And we're off! Without Longo Borghini, 146 riders set off as the race flag is dropped. Updated at 2.28pm CEST 1.59pm CEST 13:59 Elisa Longo Borghini of UAE Team ADQ will not start today due to illness. The Italian champion's team issued this statement on social media: Unfortunately, Elisa Longo Borghini will not start stage three of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift due to a gastrointestinal infection. After fighting through the first two stages, her condition worsened and, together with the team, she made the tough decision to withdraw. Updated at 2.01pm CEST 1.53pm CEST 13:53 Stage three of the Tour de France Femmes 2025 is under way. The peloton have rolled out from La Gacilly. There's a short 2.6km neutralised section before the racing begins. 1.51pm CEST 13:51 The race radio has just chimed in, saying that racing on stage three will get under way in six minutes. There's no live TV coverage of today's stage for me until later, so updates will be coming via the official race radio and centre for the start. Updated at 1.53pm CEST 1.42pm CEST 13:42 And who's wearing which jersey: Yellow jersey – Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), 4hrs 37mins 25secs Green jersey – Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 71pts Polka dot jersey – Elise Chabbey (FDJ-Suez), 10pts White jersey – Julie Bego (Cofidis), 4hrs 38mins 13secs 1.36pm CEST 13:36 Here's a reminder of the top ten on GC after stage two: Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal), 4hrs 37mins 25secs Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), 4hrs 37mins 25secs Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma-Lease a Bike), +6secs Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (Canyon/SRAM), +10secs Demi Vollering (FDJ-Suez), +13secs Puck Pieterse (Fenix-Deceuninck), +15secs Anna van der Breggen (SD Worx Protime), +15secs Pauliena Rooijakkers (Fenix-Deceuninck), +19secs Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek), +19secs Chloé Dygert (Canyon/SRAM), +19secs Kim Le Court Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) of Mauritius finished third in yesteday's stage so took the overall leader's yellow jersey. The Dutch rider Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike), who wore the leader's jersey after winning Saturday's opening stage, finished fifth and surrendered her overall lead to Le Court Pienaar. 1.27pm CEST 13:27 Stage three is the second longest stage of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. Here is the route profile: Updated at 1.27pm CEST 1.20pm CEST 13:20 Here's a look at today's stage, Monday 28 July: La Gacilly to Angers, 163.5km, with the race director of the Tour de France Femmes, Marion Rousse: La Gacilly hosted both the 2023 Tour de l'Avenir and this year's Tour de Bretagne. This stage start in front of the covered market is a logical and well deserved continuation of that trend. A little further on, memories of Tour stage starts in 1983 and 2004 will be rekindled at Châteaubriant, which is home to a well-renowned club and an operational velodrome. After racing on country roads with no significant difficulties, the riders are very likely to serve up a bunch sprint for the fans in Angers. 1.15pm CEST 13:15 Today's 163.5km flat stage is being heralded as a day for the sprinters, with flat roads to Angers resulting in a classic bunch sprint. There's a category four climb (1.7km at 4.6%) at 34km in and an intermediate sprint later on, at 123.9km. However, the final run to the finish line is technical, with a number of sharp corners in the last kilometre. The final is technical, though, with multiple sharp corners in the last 1.2 km of the stage. Eyes will be on SD Worx-Protime's Lorena Wiebes after she was denied a sprint finish on stage two by Mavi García's breakaway. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek), Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) and Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) could be Wiebes's main challengers. I would love to know your thoughts on the race so far and any predictions you have for today's stage – you can get in touch via the email linked at the top of the page. The riders will begin with a neutralised start at 1.50pm CET/12.50pm BST, with the finish expected at approximateLy 5.30pm CET/4.30pm BST. While we wait for the peloton to get going, here's a recap of yesterday's events:
Daily Mirror
15 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Padraig Harrington's victory could inspire Rory McIlroy to rethink retirement plans
Padraig Harrington won the Senior Open for the first time on Sunday, just a month after winning the US Senior Open following an impressive career on the PGA Tour Padraig Harrington's revelations about finding success on the PGA Tour Champions could prompt Rory McIlroy to reconsider his future plans for the senior circuit. The Dubliner claimed his maiden Senior Open triumph on Sunday, coming just weeks after his US Senior Open victory in June. The 53-year-old, who won three majors during his PGA Tour career, has become a dominant force on the Champions Tour with 11 victories under his belt since arriving on the circuit in 2022. Following his Sunningdale success, where he carded a brilliant 16-under total, the Irish ace joined an elite group as just the fifth player to capture both the Senior Open and The Open Championship. Harrington now sits alongside golfing legends Darren Clarke, Tom Watson, Gary Player, and Bob Charles in this exclusive club, whilst also becoming only the third Irishman to lift the trophy after Clarke and Christy O'Connor Jr. Speaking to Sky Sports following his triumph, the former world No. 3 reflected on his ambitions to keep building his professional legacy after more than three decades in the game, reports Belfast Live. "Right now, I am just thrilled to have won the tournament," he said. "Having won The Open and going on to win the Senior Open, one of five players, you want to be in that category. I think they're the things you realise over the coming days, the significance of it. "Right now, I am just thrilled and a bit euphoric about getting it done. As I said, as you get older you realise the legacy of what you have done. You want to win at a great golf course like Sunningdale, you want to do things that stand out. "Having won an Open and coming now and winning the Senior Open, it does give some validation. It's certainly satisfying." His remarks could present McIlroy with a quandary, given that just this March the Northern Irishman emphatically ruled out any prospect of competing on the PGA Tour Champions upon reaching 50. "Absolutely not," the Masters champion declared with a grin when questioned about that possibility. A conversation arose regarding the challenge of retiring from golf, and when the Champions Tour was mentioned, McIlroy was unambiguous about his intention to avoid the circuit. "Look, I've said a lot of absolutes in my time that I've walked back," the 36-year-old admitted. "But I do not envision playing Champions Tour golf. Something has gone terribly wrong if I have to compete at golf at 50." Regarding finances, McIlroy sits just behind Tiger Woods with the second-highest earnings in PGA Tour history, having accumulated £79million in prize money in his career thus far. He's over £8m ahead of LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson who sits currently in third and almost £13m ahead of four-time major champion Scottie Scheffler who captured his first Open Championship title this past week. Nevertheless, there might come a moment when the Northern Irishman potentially reverses his stance in pursuit of further historical achievements, much like Harrington.
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Reuters
Report: LIV weekly purse increasing to $30M in 2026
July 28 - The weekly purses for LIV Golf competitions will increase to $30 million in 2026, with the extra $5 million going toward the team competition, the Sports Business Journal reported Monday. Beginning next season, $20 million in purse money will continue to cover individual stroke play with $10 million dedicated to the team competition, per the report. By comparison, the eight Signature Events of the PGA Tour carry $20 million payouts. The highest payout on the PGA Tour -- even among majors -- is The Players Championship at $25 million. The 13 LIV Golf teams are set up to be run independently, with each captain signing his own commercial deals and players. The onus of onboarding new players in the offseason is now more focused on teams and captains, with the enormous signing bonuses in the early stages of the league a thing of the past, per the SBJ. --Field Level Media
