Being Tiger Woods apparently isn’t as valuable as it used to be.
A European PGA Tour event official said yesterday Woods was “not worth” his $3 million appearance fee on the same day Tiger announced he will make his U.S. PGA Tour debut in two weeks at California’s Torrey Pines golf course, according to Bloomberg.
Qatar Golf Association president Hassan al Nuaimi said paying Woods’ appearance fee didn’t make sense considering the prize money for his event, the Qatar Masters, is less than the golfer’s asking price.
“Tiger Woods demands $3 million just for an appearance if he were to compete in the Commercial Bank Qatar Masters, which is not worth paying for a tournament of $2.5 million prize money,” al Nuaimi told Doha News.
Wood’s agent Mark Steinberg told Bloomberg Tiger was “never contemplating Qatar.”
Woods is playing in next week’s HSBC Golf Championship in Abu Dhabi and was invited to play at the Qatar Masters for the first time. Appearance fees are banned in the U.S., but allowed at European Tour events.
Wood finished third in last year’s Abu Dhabi tournament, two shots behind winner Robert Rock.
The Qatar quotes come just one month after a resort owner at the Australian PGA said he didn’t want Woods at his event because he’s “an emotional wreck” and “not a good example for kids.”
The Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines runs Jan. 24-27, while the Qatar event goes from Jan. 23-26. Woods, the third-ranked player in the world, has won the PGA Tour event at Torrey Pines six times.
Woods, 37, captured the U.S. Open at the La Jolla, Calif. course in 2008, defeating Rocco Mediate in a 19-hole playoff for his 14th and most recent major.