‘Protect your team’ – Tiger Woods urges Davis Love III to shield Presidents Cup players from LIV Golf drama

Tiger Woods has been described as a “trusted boss” by Davis Love III who revealed the 15-time major winner told him to protect his Presidents Cup players from the outside distractions of LIV Golf.

Love III is USA captain for next month’s Presidents Cup, but his plans have been thrown into disarray after a host of potential players defected to LIV Golf.

Asked if Woods would be involved in his Presidents Cup plans, Love III said: “He is an advisor. Tiger has done an incredible job the last couple. He has been very involved.

“He has got other issues, he can hardly play and it is hard for him to travel, so he is trying to get himself in shape.

“But he is very involved in trying to help the Tour and his foundation. He is keeping busy and now he is helping me.

“I talked to him the other day, he is a trusted boss now.”

Woods informed Love III that he must shield his Presidents Cup players from the ongoing drama to allow them to be in the best shape to beat the Internationals at Quail Hollow at the end of September.

“That is my job, to get them ready to play and protect them from the outside and go play golf as we want to go and win in Charlotte.

“There are guys out there to win the Wyndham (Championship) and there is a legal battle going on.

“The game goes on and I have to make my pairings, my picks over the next month and be ready so the guys that show up have the best chance to win.”

Asked how he would react if the LIV players won a court case to be eligible to play on the PGA Tour, and the Presidents Cup, Love III said: “I would not pick them.

“They are not coming into our team room. I would walk out before having three or four of those guys in the team room.”