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Greg Norman says he would win a debate with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy on how Saudi-funded LIV Golf has helped them financially.
And by the sound of his interview with Australian Golf Digest, it wasn’t just LIV Golf where the Shark left his teeth marks.
“When I look back on my past 3 1/2 years, from my past 20 years, oh my gosh, I really have changed the game of golf more than what people realize,” Norman told the magazine.
He says his tenure with LIV officially ends on Aug. 31. Scott O’Neil, a longtime sports and entertainment executive, has been hired as the new CEO.
Woods and McIlroy were both critical of Norman’s combative tone when LIV Golf launched in 2022, backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia that offered enormous bonus money for players to defect to the rival league. Both players said there could be no unification with Norman still involved.
McIlroy said at the end of LIV's first year, “No one is going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.”
Norman said he hasn’t watched the indoor TGL backed by McIlroy and Woods because “there’s a couple of players who’ve been very vocal against me.”
But then he said he would love to meet with both players to illustrate how they have been helped.
The PGA Tour’s response to LIV Golf was to raise prize money with $20 million signature events and pump more money into the Player Impact Program.
“I would love them to recognize the fact that — like Tiger with his PIP money — that only came because of LIV, right?” Norman said. “So Tiger benefited from that. Rory’s definitely benefited from that. I would love to sit down and talk to them about it, no question about it. Because I’m not a judgmental person and you only learn the facts and truth when you hear the other side of it.
“But, yes, would I like to sit down with them? Sure, absolutely. And you know what? I’d win the debate.”
Norman, a two-time British Open champion and the only player to lose all four majors in a playoff following 72 holes, tried to create a world tour some 30 years ago until he lost full support while running into opposition from Arnold Palmer.
That wasn’t an issue with the backing of some $200 billion from the Saudi sovereign wealth fund. PIF and its governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, are closing in on a deal to become a minority investor of PGA Tour Enterprises. LIV Golf starts its fourth year next month, and it also has pumped financial support into the Asian Tour.
Norman also referred to TGL as “simulator golf” that will do its part in attracting people to golf.
“Simulator golf is simulator golf. We had putt-putt and all those miniature golf courses we built around the world,” he said. “I think innovation is a wonderful thing, I’m not going to belittle that. I wish them all the very best and success because it’s the market, right? They’re going to be pulling people into the game of golf.”
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
