Express. Home of the Daily and Sunday Express. HOME News Politics Royal Showbiz & TV Sport Comment Finance Travel Life & Style Football Tennis F1 Boxing UFC Cricket Rugby Golf Racing NFL NBA Other Greg Norman has lambasted critics of LIV golf stars. 16: 31, Tue, Jul 2, 2024 | UPDATED: 16: 31, Tue, Jul 2, 2024
Greg Norman at this month’s LIV event in Nashville. (Image: Getty)
Greg Norman has fumed at the “disgusting” way LIV Golf players have been treated since jumping ship from the PGA Tour. The Saudi-backed venture is now in its third season, and after an underwhelming start it’s growing in stature having acquired a number of the world’s top players.
In December, Norman and co struck a seismic blow to the status quo with the signing of Jon Rahm, in a deal reportedly worth £473million.
The former world No.1 joined fellow major champions Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith on the LIV tour, with the roster a far cry from the opening rebel event at the Centurion Club back in June 2022.
Despite the likes of Johnson and Phil Mickelson already being on board by then, the tournament came in for severe criticism and was signified by a host of players considered unknown or past their peak years. Indeed, the likes of Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter were forced to fend off tough questions from journalists over the perception they’d prioritised money over prestige.
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have been among those vociferous with their scathing assessments of LIV, and the Official Golf World Rankings have refused to recognise rebel events. A number of players who defected have therefore missed out on entry to major championships.
And despite the two tours now reaching a compromise, with the structure of a merger deal expected to be unveiled later this year, Norman has taken aim. The 69-year-old also praised those who first took the plunge to leave the PGA Tour, arguing they were subjected to unjustified flak before hailing them for how they ‘carried the game of golf’ on the PGA Tour.
Jon Rahm made a huge money move to LIV in December 2023. (Image: Getty)
“I compliment the boys who came over, the first movers,” Norman told Bloomberg. “They came on with massive amounts of headwind. The vitriol and hatred was just disgusting to be quite honest with you.
“Considering what these guys have done for the game of golf. And how they have carried the game of golf, and the institutions they represented. It was disgusting.”
Norman’s words come amid a period where the stance of even the fiercest LIV critics appears to be softening. McIlroy himself, who last year backed the decision not to consider players who defected for Team Europe selection in the Ryder Cup, has now called for a change of regulations to allow Rahm to play in the 2025 version.
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McIlroy himself has even been linked with a sensational switch, speculation he has emphatically denied. But the impending merger could finally see harmony in what has been dubbed a ‘civil war’ within the sport.
LIV currently has five events left on its 2024 schedule. The next 54-hole tournament takes place in Valderrama, Spain, from July 12-14.
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