Tiger Woods Rejected Offer 'In the Neighborhood' of $700 to $800 Million to Join LIV Golf, Says CEO

Tiger Woods of The United States speaks to the media in a press conference during a practice round prior to The 150th Open at St Andrews Old Course on July 12, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland.
Tiger Woods of The United States speaks to the media in a press conference during a practice round prior to The 150th Open at St Andrews Old Course on July 12, 2022 in St Andrews, Scotland.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty

Tiger Woods rejected an offer "in the neighborhood" of $700 to $800 million to join LIV Golf, the group's CEO Greg Norman claims.

During an appearance on Fox News with Tucker Carlson, Norman said that the Saudi-backed league had made the seven-figure offer to the 46-year-old Woods, who turned it down.

Norman told Carlson the offer was "out there" even before the former world-number-one took on the role. "That number was out there before I became CEO."

"Look, Tiger is a needle mover, right? So, of course you're got to look at the best of the best," said Norman. "They had originally approached Tiger before I became CEO. That number is somewhere in that neighborhood."

Woods rejected the tour and went on to criticize other golfers who accepted offers from the controversial league.

RELATED: Tiger Woods Criticizes LIV Golf Players Who 'Turned Their Back' on PGA Tour

"I know Greg tried to do this back in the early '90s," Woods said of the 67-year-old's past attempts to separate from the PGA Tour, according to the New York Times. "It didn't work then, and he's trying to make it work now. I still don't see how that's in the best interests of the game."

Woods added, "Greg has done some things that I don't think is in the best interest of our game, and we're coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

During a press conference before the start of the 2022 Open Championship, Woods said he "disagreed" with the golfers who have accepted suspensions from the PGA Tour to play with the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Tiger Woods walks off the third tee during the second round of The Masters
Tiger Woods walks off the third tee during the second round of The Masters

Gregory Shamus/Getty Tiger Woods at the 2022 Masters

"I think that what they've done is they've turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position," Woods said, according to ESPN.

In June, the PGA Tour suspended 17 golfers who appeared in LIV Golf's first event in England. They included golfing legend Phil Mickelson, winner of 45 PGA Tour events, and Dustin Johnson, a former Masters winner who resigned from the tour ahead of the suspension.

RELATED: Tiger Woods Holds Back Tears After Struggling at 2022 British Open, Return to St. Andrews in Doubt

ESPN previously reported that LIV Golf has ties to the Public Investment Fund, a sovereign wealth fund that makes investments on behalf of Saudi Arabia. The country has long been condemned for human rights abuses and LIV Golf has been criticized for working with Saudi Arabia.

Over the weekend, former president Donald Trump hosted a LIV Golf tournament at his course in Bedminster, New Jersey, amid protests from families of people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"This golf tournament is taking place 50 miles from Ground Zero," a man says in a 30-second ad released this week by the group 9/11 Justice. The spot accuses golfers of taking "blood money" and urges viewers to call Bedminster "to tell them it's wrong" to host an event with LIV Golf due to their ties to Saudi Arabia.