Justin Thomas delivers Tiger Woods backing ahead of new role in LIV Golf deal
Justin Thomas has hailed the PGA Tour 's decision to appoint Tiger Woods to their policy board as the sixth player director.
Woods' new role was announced by the PGA Tour on Tuesday (August 1), joining Rory McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, and Webb Simpson on the board. The move comes as commissioner Jay Monahan looks to rebuild trust with his players.
Following the shock announcement that the Tour had signed a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), Monahan received huge backlash from playing members over the secrecy of the deal.
Alongside Woods' new role it was also confirmed that "no major decision can be made in the future without the prior involvement and approval of the Player Directors." This will more than likely see Woods and co involved in key decisions in the ongoing deal that will see the Tour work in unison will LIV Golf.
One man who is happy to see the changes is two-time major winner Thomas. The American star - who is a close friend of Woods - told the PGA Tour he was 'excited' to see the 82-time winner take on the player director position. "He [Woods] takes the future of the PGA Tour very seriously,” Thomas said.
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"And he wants it to be in the best hands possible and it to be in the best position possible.” Woods himself has remained out of the public eye across the rollercoaster two months for professional golf, as he continues to recover from an ankle problem that saw him pull out of this year's Masters.
Tiger Woods and Justin Thomas are close friends (Getty Images)This made his decision to get involved with the off-field dealings all the more commendable according to Thomas. "It would be pretty easy for him to just hide under a rock the rest of his life and be just fine,” Thomas added. “But that's not who he is. He wants to continue to see the PGA Tour grow and succeed.”
Surprisingly, one man who also hailed the appointment was Woods' long-time rival - and LIV Golf loyalist - Phil Mickelson. Mickelson has announced himself as one of the Tour's biggest critics since making the Saudi switch last summer, but this time around commended the circuit's approach to bring in Woods.
He tweeted: "This is great to see. Players having equal representation on the board, Tiger getting more involved, and accountability across the board. Awesome news."
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