Shark ban irony lost on no one

ROYAL & Ancient golf club officials have defended the contentious decision to exclude Australia’s Greg Norman from the 150th British Open celebrations with a bizarre explanation, after the move blew up in their faces.

Facing increasing criticism for banning the two-time champion because of his links to the rebel LIV series, R&A boss Martin Slumbers said on Thursday Norman’s invitation was withdrawn over fears his presence would overshadow the tournament.

“This is a very important week for golf. This is the oldest championship. It’s the original championship,” Slumbers said.

“We are absolutely determined to ensure that this goes down in history as about The 150th Open. We decided that ... was going to be potentially unlikely. We decided that we didn’t want the distraction.

“We wanted to ensure that the conversation was all about this week and playing golf and balls in the air.”

The irony is that the move has backfired because the only topic of conversation in the lead-up has been Norman’s ban and the rebel LIV series.

Slumbers spent his annual conference with the media discussing the rebel league, raising the topic himself before he was asked about it.

“Professional golfers are entitled to choose where they want to play and to accept the prizemoney that’s offered to them,” he said. “(But) I believe the model we’ve seen at Centurion and Pumpkin Ridge is not in the best long-term interests of the sport as a whole and is entirely driven by money.

“We believe it undermines the merit-based culture and the spirit of open competition that makes golf so special.”

Quizzed specifically about why an invitation to Norman was revoked, Slumbers said: “Greg hasn’t been here since 2010. He didn’t come in 2015.

“In fact, it’s many years since he’s even been to The Open. So there would have been another reason for that.

“So it was very clear to protect the integrity of this week.”