At 70 years old, Greg Norman still refuses to fade quietly into golf’s background. The twotime major champion, once the polarizing face of LIV Golf, has shifted his attention in recent months from boardroom battles to hunting shipwrecks near Cuba.
But despite a new lifestyle away from daily golf politics, Norman hasn’t stopped stirring debate, especially when it comes to Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
In a recent interview with The Times, Norman openly questioned why two of golf’s most influential figures never confronted him directly about his role in upending the sport’s status quo. Instead of quiet criticism or behind-the-scenes grumbling, Norman insists Woods and McIlroy should have addressed their disagreements with him openly.
“They couldn’t say to me, ‘Greg, you’ve hurt the PGA Tour,'” he said, challenging the legends to sit down and squarely discuss their views.
Norman argues that many of the financial gains now enjoyed by PGA Tour stars trace back to the seismic shifts sparked by LIV Golf’s emergence. He pointed to the PGA Tour’s Player Impact Program, which rewards players for their commercial and brand value, saying that arrangements like these might not exist without the competitive pressure from the rival circuit.
He also emphasized that his stance hasn’t changed: he still believes his actions validated players’ ability to negotiate better deals and increased the overall transparency of the sport.
For Norman, this is about more than ego; it reflects his belief that transparency fosters accountability. He has grown frustrated, he says, by what he views as whispered criticism rather than candid dialogue.
Norman won’t apologize for shaking up golf
Despite stepping away from leadership of LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed league he once helmed, he remains unapologetic about shaking up golf’s established power structure.
Critics, however, see his comments as the lingering echo of resentment dating back decades, viewing LIV Golf as the culmination of a personal feud with the PGA Tour.
Norman’s tenure with LIV was divisive. Woods and McIlroy each had publicly critical things to say about his influence during the sport’s “civil war,” and both called for his departure from leadership roles to help mend fractured relationships within golf.
Adding to the irony, the league Norman helped create now faces uncertainty under new leadership. Scott O’Neil has taken over daytoday responsibilities, and LIV is navigating defections, financial pressures, and a struggle to attract top players. Notably, Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave LIV and return to the PGA Tour only reinforces the challenges the league faces.
Yet Norman remains defiant. He continues to believe the disruption he set in motion delivered long-term benefits for players and continues to challenge the sport to face uncomfortable truths, not sidestep them.
For him, the silence of Woods and McIlroy is less about disagreement and more about missed opportunity for an honest conversation. And in true Norman fashion, he isn’t letting that go unnoticed.
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