US golfer Tiger Woods reportedly turned down an offer of up to $800 million to take part in the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series.
Details of the offer were referenced this week by retired professional golfer Greg Norman when he appeared on Fox News with Tucker Carlson.
During the interview, Norman confirmed what he told the Washington Post in a story two months ago that the offer was "mind-blowingly enormous; we’re talking about high nine digits".
It was reported that Woods has been opposed to LIV Golf since late last year, when he made comments at the British Open that players who took the money from the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund had "turned their back" on the PGA Tour that made them famous.
Speaking during the Fox interview, Norman, who became Chief Executive of LIV Golf Investments in 2021, said: "That number was out there before I became CEO. So that number has been out there, yes.
"And, look, Tiger is a needle-mover and of course you have to look at the best of the best.
"So they had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO. So, yes, that number was somewhere in that neighborhood".
When asked why the tour had sparked such a backlash among fans of the sport in the US, Norman said: "I don’t know.”
He added: "I really don’t care. I just love the game so much and I want to grow the game of golf and we at LIV see that opportunity not just for the men but for the women".
