Tiger Woods breaks silence on Rory McIlroy 'fallout' after PGA Tour board snub

Tiger Woods has dismissed rumors of a 'fallout' with Rory McIlroy after the Northern Irish golfer was denied a return to the PGA Tour Policy Board. Speculation about the state of relationships within golf's upper circles has been rife following Webb Simpson's decision to step down from the board, which led to a domino effect when he nominated McIlroy as his successor, only for the world No 2 to be rejected by the members.

McIlroy, who won the Open Championship in 2014, had expressed interest in rejoining the board, a position he held until November last year. Despite previously criticizing LIV Golf, it seems his stance has softened as he seeks an end to the ongoing dispute within the sport.

Nearly a year after the initial proposal for a merger between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the DP World Tour, a 'framework agreement' is yet to be established. McIlroy seemed eager to help push the deal forward. However, Golf Digest reports that relations between McIlroy and Woods have 'soured' following a 'falling out of sorts', a claim made after McIlroy was denied a return to the PGA Tour Policy Board, reports the Mirror .

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Woods has been in the spotlight for his efforts to help with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger negotiations, but rumors swirled that some players, including Woods, were not keen on his involvement. However, Woods has now clarified that there's no bad blood between him and McIlroy amidst the ongoing tensions.

"Well I think that we see the - it's good to see it differently, but collectively as a whole we want to see whatever's best for all the players, the fans, and the state of golf," he stated. "How we get there, that's to be determined, but the fact that we're in this together and in this fight together to make golf better is what it's all about."

This statement comes on the heels of McIlroy's own admission that his attempt to rejoin the policy board was fraught with complexity and messiness. He conceded: "I would say, I mean, I think friends can have disagreements or not see things I guess not not see eye to eye on things but have disagreements on things."

Despite the challenges, McIlroy confirmed that their relationship remains solid after a lengthy discussion they had. "I think that's fine. But no, I wouldn't say we had a really good talk last Friday for 45 minutes, just about a lot of different things," he said, dismissing any notion of a serious fallout.

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"No, there's no strain there. I think we might see the future of golf a little bit differently, but I don't think that should place any strain on a relationship or on a friendship."

McIlroy , the four-time major champion, has acknowledged his involvement in the discussions between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series. Speaking at the Wells Fargo Championship, he said: "I'm not on the board, but I'm in some way involved in that transaction committee.

"I don't have a vote so I don't have I guess a meaningful say in what happens in the future, but at least I feel like I can be helpful on that committee," he added, explaining his role without a board seat.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan also highlighted McIlroy's potential impact on the ongoing talks with LIV and the DP World Tour, stating: "Today's news is in no way a commentary on Rory's important influence. It's simply a matter of adherence to our governance process by which a tour player becomes a board member."

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