Scott elevated to huge PGA role in golf war despite recent LIV links

Adam Scott had already knocked back approaches from Greg Norman’s LIV Golf, but now the Australian veteran looms as the next moderator in what Tiger Woods called the game’s new reality.

Scott, 42, has been voted by his peers as the new chairman of the Player Advisory Council, which advises PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan on issues affecting the US-based circuit.

He’ll join a group that includes Rory McIlroy, who Woods is returning to play with at this week’s Genesis Invitational. Woods called McIlroy the PGA Tour’s “ambassador” and someone who had been extraordinary navigating the at times hostile battle against LIV.

“It‘s been tough on him and he’s been exceptional,” Woods said of McIlroy, who has taken on Norman and the LIV converts while helping advance the player cause on the PGA Tour.

“It‘s been an ebb and flow, it really has. And it’s been difficult, there’s no lie. You’ve seen our ambassador, Rory, go through it. I’ve been with him on all those conference calls and side meetings, and for him to go out there and play and win, it‘s been incredible.”

Scott, while rebutting offers from LIV to join the all-Australian team now headed by Cameron Smith, has been more moderate in his approach to the breakaway circuit and those who have left to join.

Last September, he said LIV was not “pure evil” despite the backlash for the Saudi-backed tour, which spent nearly s billion dollars securing players including Smith and major champions Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson on monster contracts.

Scott even hinted at how his voice could help ease the ongoing tension between the warring parties.

“Maybe because I’m a little less emotive about it I can be a voice of reason for one side or another,” Scott said.

”I don’t necessarily see LIV as just pure evil for the game of golf.

“Hopefully, we can get beyond people having shots at each other and each organisation can move on with what they want to do. I believe the PGA Tour has to do what’s best for their product and LIV is going to do what is best for their product. I don’t have a problem with either of them.”

But he also shut the door on a potential move to LIV last month when he joined up with Woods’ new made-for-television TMRW golf league.

Woods, who is playing for the first time in 2023 in California this week, lamented the “turbulent” state of world golf but was adamant that a lot of the world’s best were still “aligned” to make the game the best product possible.

“We never would have expected the game of golf to be in this situation, but it is, that’s the reality,” he said.

“Obviously, they’re (LIV) a competitive organisation trying to create their best product they possibly can, and we‘re trying to create the best product that we think the future of golf, how it should be played.

“How do we do that? We‘re still working on that. We have so many of the top players aligned, and how do we support our world partners and the DP World Tour? We need to have our top players understand we need to play around the world and again create the best product possible.”

Scott has made more than 370 career starts on the PGA Tour and boasts 14 wins, highlighted by his triumph at the 2013 Masters.

He is also fifth on the tour’s all-time career earnings list at just over $8m.