Tiger Woods' resurgence included a second-place finish at the PGA Championship. GETTY IMAGES
Tiger Woods turned down his "biggest ever potential overseas pay cheque" which was reportedly on offer to play in the European Tour's inaugural event in Saudi Arabia next year, amid the int'l "outcry" over the recent murder of a journalist, according to James Corrigan of the London TELEGRAPH. In the past, Woods has traveled to countries such as China and the UAE. Yet it is understood he deemed Saudi Arabia "to be an excursion too far" -- even for at least £2.5M ($3.3M), an amount that "apparently dwarfs anything he has received before for an official overseas tournament." Sources said that he was first approached about the event after his "dramatic competitive resurrection at the Open" and then at the PGA Championship, where he finished second. It is not known if Woods' refusal was "because of the political situation or if it is because he has decided to limit long-haul travel after his many back complaints." However, there "can be no doubting the headlines it would have attracted if he had agreed," and he and his advisers "can be seen as being wise -- unwitting or otherwise -- for sidestepping the inevitable backlash" (TELEGRAPH, 11/7).
