Tiger Woods Admits He Doesn't Know How He'll React To LIV Players At Masters

Tiger Woods has admitted he doesn’t know how he will react to meeting LIV Golf players at this year’s Masters at Augusta National.

The five-time winner of the Major intends to follow up his appearance at this week’s Genesis Invitational with an appearance at the event he last won in 2019. However, there will also be a healthy contingent of LIV Golf players at the tournament following a decision by Augusta National in December to allow them to compete in 2023.

Speaking to the media in the build-up to this week’s elevated PGA Tour event at Riviera Country Club, Woods was asked how he would react to encountering the players at the tournament. He said: “I don’t know, because I haven’t been around them. Some of the players out here have. For instance, Rory was in Dubai with some of the players. I don’t know what that reaction is going to be. I know that some of our friendships have certainly taken a different path but we will see when all that transpires, it’s still a couple of months away.“

McIlroy and LIV Golf player Patrick Reed created headlines before last month's Dubai Desert Classic when McIlroy blanked Reed. At the same event, McIlroy admitted he couldn't rekindle his friendship with another LIV player, Sergio Garcia. Reed and Garcia are former Masters winners, and LIV has others in its ranks, too, including Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson. They will likely attend the the Champions Dinner alongside the likes of Woods, and that's an occasion he cited as a potential area for uncomfortable moments. 

He said: “The Champion’s Dinner’s going to be obviously, something that’s talked about. You know, we as a whole need to honour Scottie [Scheffler]. Scottie’s the winner, it’s his dinner and so making sure that Scottie gets honoured correctly but also realising just the nature of what has transpired and the people who have left. Just where our situations are either legally, emotionally, there’s a lot there.”