NORMAN GOES ON ‘SHARK’ ATTACK
He suggests McIlroy ‘brainwashed,’ Nicklaus a hypocrite for stance on LIV
Greg Norman, the public face of the breakaway LIV Golf Series, said the executives and agents who currently run golf ‘‘are conspiring against LIV to protect an antiquated system that prevents golfers from realizing their own power and worth amid a global movement of athlete empowerment.’’
In a story by the Washington Post, Norman also criticized Rory McIlroy and others, suggesting they’ve been ‘‘brainwashed’’ against the LIV movement. McIlroy has been vocal in speaking out in favor of the PGA Tour.
At a media event last month to promote the first LIV Golf Series event outside London, which is scheduled to tee off Thursday, Norman — the chief executive of the LIV Golf Invitational, which is funded primarily by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — appeared to downplay the 2018 killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
‘‘Everybody has owned up to it, right?’’ Norman said, according to the Londonbased newspaper The Times. ‘‘It has been spoken about, from what I’ve read, going on what you guys reported. Take ownership, no matter what it is. Look, we’ve all made mistakes, and you just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.’’
In the Washington Post article, he appeared to take a similar stance.
‘‘I’m not in this thing for Khashoggi or anything like that,’’ he said. ‘‘I’m in here because of the game of golf; that’s what I care about. If I focus on the game of golf and don’t get dragged into this other stuff, that’s my priority.’’
Norman said that LIV Golf approached representatives of Tiger Woods, hoping to woo him from the PGA Tour. Woods publicly has confirmed his commitment to the PGA Tour on several occasions, but according to the Washington Post story: ‘‘The [LIV] consultant also pitched representatives for Woods, who once staged his own public coup with the PGA Tour over marketing rights. Norman says Woods turned down a deal that was ‘mind-blowingly enormous. We’re talking about high nine digits.’ ’’
Norman also called golf legend Jack Nicklaus a hypocrite after he recently spoke out against LIV. According to a report in May by Sports Illustrated, a complaint was filed May 13 against Nicklaus in the Supreme Court of the State of New York by businessman Howard Milstein, the executive chairman of the Nicklaus Companies who also oversees Golf Magazine and Golf.com. The suit alleges tortious interference, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, alleging — among other things — that Nicklaus had negotiations with the Saudis.
Nicklaus says he told LIV on two occasions he wasn’t interested. Norman, however, said that’s not exactly true, claiming: ‘‘Nicklaus attended a LIV presentation and later wrote in an email that the new tour had his blessing.
‘‘Quote-unquote, he said: ‘This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me.’ So you want the facts? You’ve got the facts. Know what you said before you open your mouth.’’