Norman snubbed by R&A over fear of a Saudi hijack
GREG NORMAN has been snubbed by the R&A for its celebrations at the 150th Open this week because they fear his presence as the face of the controversial Saudi-backed LIV series would hijack the event. As a two-time winner of the Claret Jug, the Aussie was an obvious invite under normal circumstances for the four-hole Celebration of Champions event tomorrow and the Champions Dinner on Tuesday.
However, the R&A, in an unprecedented snub, confirmed that his absence was down to the fact that he hadn’t been invited. ‘In response to enquiries regarding the
R&A Celebration of Champions field and the Champions’ Dinner, we can confirm that we contacted Greg Norman to advise him that we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion,’ the statement read. ‘The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the championship and its heritage. Unfortunately, we do not believe that would be the case if Greg were to attend.’
Norman and the R&A have long had a tempestuous relationship. It dates back to when Norman was the face of Omega watches and the R&A allegedly prevented him from marketing their wares at the Open, where rival brand Rolex have long been omnipotent.
In his guise as the CEO of LIV, Norman has been the bane of many a tournament sponsor this year, as stories surrounding the series have dominated much of the coverage.
Clearly, the R&A are taking no chances that will happen this week, although the confrontational gesture may well backfire, since it ups the ante considerably and places them firmly on the side of the status quo in the game’s increasingly ugly civil war. R&A CEO Martin Slumbers is bound to be questioned at his press conference on Wednesday about where the game goes from here, and whether LIV players will be able to play in future editions of the Open.