Report: Tiger Woods ‘fought tooth and nail’ to hide damning PGA Tour docs

Right-wing attorney Larry Klayman has leveled a series of accusations against PGA Tour legend Tiger Woods and PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, claiming they were involved in an alleged scheme to monopolize the golf industry. According to Klayman, Woods “fought tooth and nail” to prevent the release of documents that supposedly outlined his role in this alleged plot.

Klayman made these statements following the dismissal of his lawsuit against the PGA Tour by a circuit court judge in Palm Beach County, Florida. The lawsuit, filed two-and-a-half years ago, accused the PGA Tour of colluding with the Official World Golf Ranking and others in an attempt to stifle the rise of LIV Golf, a rival organization. However, Judge Delgado dismissed the case on August 30, 2023.

Despite the setback, Klayman announced his intention to appeal the ruling and plans to file a separate lawsuit against both Jay Monahan and Tiger Woods for fraud. In a news release following the dismissal, Klayman criticized Judge Delgado’s decision, claiming that the case was handled with limited public transparency, effectively transforming the legal process into a “secret star chamber.” He further accused Delgado of not dedicating enough time to thoroughly examine the case and suggested that the judge grew tired after being overwhelmed by extensive filings submitted by attorneys representing the PGA Tour and Woods, who is a 15-time major champion.

Klayman specifically targeted Tiger Woods in his allegations, claiming that Woods, who serves on the PGA Tour’s advisory committee, was compelled to produce documents detailing his alleged involvement in the anti-competitive scheme. According to Klayman, the PGA Tour, Monahan, and Woods’ legal team aggressively fought to keep these documents from becoming public.

Additionally, Klayman implicated other prominent figures in golf, including Rory McIlroy, accusing him of engaging in “monopolistic acts” as part of the same effort to suppress LIV Golf’s growth.

The origins of these accusations trace back to documents from Klayman’s antitrust lawsuit, which were inadvertently made public in July 2023. These 357 pages of emails and other materials reportedly revealed how the PGA Tour sought to combat LIV Golf by bolstering its relationship with the DP World Tour. The documents also included strategic talking points used by the PGA Tour to frame LIV Golf as a significant threat to the traditional golf landscape.

One notable revelation from these documents was the claim that the PGA Tour provided Tiger Woods with scripted remarks for him to deliver at the 2022 Travelers Championship. Woods was allegedly instructed to endorse Monahan as the right leader to take on LIV Golf, calling on fellow PGA Tour members to “join the fight.” The script reportedly included a blunt dismissal of LIV Golf’s financial backers from Saudi Arabia, with Woods supposedly being urged to say, “Do what I did: tell the Saudis to go f— themselves. And mean it.” However, Woods later denied ever seeing these documents or attending the meeting in question.

The court filings also revealed the precarious financial situation of the DP World Tour, which reportedly prompted the PGA Tour to step in to offer support.

Shortly after these documents were made public, they were resealed following an emergency motion filed by the PGA Tour, which claimed the documents contained sensitive trade secrets. Klayman acknowledged that the release of the documents had been a clerical error by the court, but he remains undeterred in his pursuit of legal action against Woods and Monahan.

As Klayman prepares to move forward with his appeal and additional lawsuits, the legal battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf continues to stir controversy within the world of professional golf.