Tiger Woods admits he was 'frustrated' by PGA Tour's bombshell merger with LIV Golf as he claims the deal with Saudi Arabia's PIF isn't the only option... but reveals a pathway for rebels to return IS being worked out

Tiger Woods admitted he and his fellow professionals were left frustrated by the PGA Tour's decision to keep them in the dark over its merger with LIV Golf. 

Players were left blindsided when the PGA Tour dropped the bombshell on June 6 announcing that golf's two warring sides were calling a truce that would essentially see the PGA Tour, Europe's DP World Tour and LIV Golf come under one umbrella

Woods, an outspoken critic of the Saudi-backed breakaway who reportedly turned down a $800million deal to defect in 2022, was just one of many disgruntled members of the PGA Tour, alongside friend and business partner Rory McIlroy.

The 15-time major winner admitted the PGA Tour's shock U-turn, which was made without any player consultation, left him and his fellow professionals stunned and frustrated.  

'I would say that my reaction was surprised, just like I'm sure a lot of the players were taken back by what happened, and so quickly and without any input or any kind of information about it,' Woods said, speaking out on the merger ahead of his return to the course at the Hero World Challenge this week. 

'It was just thrown out there. I was very surprised that the process was what it was, and we were very frustrated with what happened. 

'We took steps going forward to ensure that we were not going to be left out of the process like we were and part of that process was putting me onto board and accepting that position.'

Woods, McIlroy and co. were kept in the dark for weeks over the Tour and LIV Golf's backer, Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, plans to merge under a framework agreement and only found out at the same time as the rest of the world on social media. 

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in particular faced fury from his members with many calling for him to step down during a contentious player meeting in the immediate aftermath of the bombshell announcement. 

However, Woods insisted that the commissioner has acknowledged the betrayal and has worked to ensure it doesn't happen again. 

'I think Jay [Monahan] has been a part of the direction,' Woods said. 'He understands that what happened prior to that can't happen again, and it won't happen again, not with the players that are involved and not with the player directors having the role that we have.' 

One of the steps taken to move towards greater transparency between PGA Tour chiefs and the players was adding Woods as the sixth ‘player director’ on their policy board.

A number of top golfers, including McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler, had privately pushed for Woods, an outspoken critic of LIV, to have a seat at the table at a point when the practicalities of the merger are still up in the air and yet to be agreed.

While June's merger ended the on-going litigation battles between the two fractions under the framework agreement, negotiations over details of the deal are ongoing and need to conclude ahead of a December 31 deadline.

Woods insisted that all parties are working tirelessly to hammer of a final agreement ahead of the looming deadline next month but admitted that the slow pace has been frustrating. 

'I'm pleased at the process and how it's evolved,' he began. 'Also frustrated in some of the slowness and the governance change we want to happen. 

'December 31st is coming up. There's a timetable there that we would like to implement some of these changes that have not taken place. 

'The guys, all the players have spent so many hours and worked tireless hours to make sure that we have the best deal for all the players that are involved, on all the entire PGA tour.'

He added: 'I think all the parties are talking, and we're aggressively working on trying to get a deal done, and we're all trying to make sure that the process is better too. And so the implementation is one of the main topics as long as getting the deal done, but make sure it's done the right way.' 

One of the main questions that looms is the process of allowing the LIV rebels who defected from the PGA Tour to return. 

The PGA Tour's figurehead revealed that the board is discussing a potential pathway for the likes of Phil Mickelson and co. to mend burned bridges after they either resigned their membership or were barred from the PGA Tour. 

'As far as a pathway, we're still working on that,' Woods admitted. 'That's part of the deal we're working on, trying to find a path, whatever that looks like. There's so many different scenarios. A lot of sleepless hours trying to figure that out and what does it look like.' 

However, while all parties appear to be striving to reach an agreement, Woods confessed that the merger isn't the only option. 

'We have multiple options, he claimed, 'but still, we would like to have a deal done by December 31st. That's what the agreement said this summer, and all parties understand that, but there are other options out there.' 

The merger had represented a major victory for LIV Golf, which has been shunned by many of the sport's icons, including Tour legends Jack Nicklaus, McIlroy and Woods. 

But a memo sent to PGA Tour players last month said that while the tour works on finalizing an agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, it is fielding calls from other interested investors as well, ESPN and Bloomberg reported.

While Woods is preparing to make a highly-anticipated return to competitive golf after withdrawing from The Masters in April, it appears the golf icon has also been relishing his role away from the fairways too. 

'I enjoy the fact that I'm able to make an impact differently than just hitting a golf ball,' he said of his role on the policy board. 

'I've made an impact on the PGA tour for a number of years hitting a golf ball. But I can have a lasting impact by being on the board, and being a part of the future of the PGA tour.' 

Woods will make his highly-anticipated return alongside longtime pal Justin Thomas with the pair teeing off at 11:52am ET for the first round Thursday.