Ambassador wants Djokovic Snr banned
World No.1 McIlroy was on two under after 15 holes.
He was at the centre of the pre-tournament build-up due to his war of words with LIV rebel Reed.
Nick Faldo branded the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour “meaningless” — and slammed long-time rival and LIV CEO Greg Norman for tarnishing his legacy.
Faldo and Norman had a famous rivalry in the 1980s and 1990s but the Aussie came under fire over his involvement with LIV.
Faldo said: “He was a great golfer. He really was a charismatic, exciting golfer and he’s absolutely wrecked all of that.”
He added: “It’s a closed shop: 48 guys given loads of money,” he added. “What gripes me is it’s not growing the game of golf.
“That really gets me when they fly across the world to a country that’s been playing golf for 100 plus years and say, ‘We’re growing the game of golf’.
“If they keep saying they want to grow the game of golf, go and take it to new regions.
“It’s pretty embarrassing.”
NOVAK DJOKOVIC’S father should be banned from the Australian Open after he was filmed posing with proPutin Russians, the Ukrainian ambassador has claimed.
Ukrainian former tennis player Alex Dolgopolov has also said Srdjan Djokovic (right) and Russian fans should stay away from the tournament “if they openly praise a genocidal regime”.
Four men were evicted for flying a Russian flag showing the face of President Vladimir Putin after the Serb’s quarterfinal victory over Andrey Rublev on Wednesday.
A video posted on YouTube showed Djokovic’s father with a nationalist fan holding a flag, and wearing a Z T-shirt in support of the invasion of Ukraine.
The YouTube channel called Aussie Cossack translated Djokovic Sr saying: “Long live the Russians.”
Sanction
However, tournament director Craig Tiley has decided not to specifically sanction him.
Ukraine’s ambassador to Australia, Vasyl Myroshnychenko, said: “It is up to Tennis Australia to take action. It would be a very good idea not to let him in.
“I don’t know why he would say something like that considering what the Russians are doing in Ukraine, how many people they have killed, tortured, raped, and all the summary executions that have happened against civilians.”
Dolgopolov, who is now serving in the Ukrainian army, tweeted: “Absolutely disgusting.
“Politics should be kept out of sport they said. These people have absolutely no business in being on tournaments, including
Novak’s father, if they openly praise a genocidal regime.”