The feud between the two richest powers in golf continues. A few days after Tiger Woods echoed Rory McIlroy’s sentiment that Greg Norman needs to be removed at the CEO of LIV Golf before LIV and the PGA Tour can peacefully coexist, Norman retaliated with some fire remarks of his own. In an exclusive interview with Today’s Golfer, Norman offered up a rebuttal for Woods and McIlroy.
“I pay zero attention to McIlroy and Woods, right?,” Norman said. “They have their agenda for whatever reason. They’re saying whatever they want to say. It has no bearing or effect on me. I’m going to be with LIV for a long, long period of time.
“When the monopolist’s territory is getting threatened, they’re going to rear their ugly head up and do what they do. But from my whole perspective, I’ve always taken the high road this year. I will continue to take the high road because I believe in our business model. I believe in our people, I believe in the players’ independent rights, and we’ve already seen a dramatic shift in our audience.”
Norman’s response stems from Woods backing up his friend McIlroy leading up to the Hero World Challenge event he hosts annually in the Bahamas last week.
“I think Greg has to go, first of all,” Woods said. “Then obviously litigation against us and then our countersuit against them, those would then have to be at a stay as well. So then we can talk, we can all talk freely.”
Woods reiterated his feelings later in the press conference.
“Right now as it is, not right now, not with their leadership, not with Greg there and his animosity towards the Tour itself,” Woods said about potential peace talks. “I don’t see that happening. As Rory said, and I said it as well, I think Greg’s got to leave and then we can eventually, hopefully, have a stay between the two lawsuits and figure something out.”
McIlroy, who has said something very similar to Woods about Norman needing to be ousted, might take exception to Norman’s comment about taking the high road. He told a story recently to Paul Kimmage of the Independent about how he and Norman had a nice conversation about Norman’s career struggles at Augusta National and more or less made amends on everything. Then, it went sour.
“Then, a couple of weeks later, he does an interview with The Washington Post and says I’ve been ‘brainwashed by the PGA Tour’,” said McIlroy. “I’m like ‘For f**k sake!’ We’ve had this really nice back-and-forth and he says that about me. I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to make it my business now to be as much of a pain in his arse as possible.'”
There have been rumors in recent weeks that Norman will be stepping aside as LIV CEO. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but it’s clear that there is disdain for him from the most important folks on the other side.
“I am not going anywhere,” Norman said. “I don’t care what anybody says. I’m not going anywhere. I am so proud of the position I am in and maybe, maybe, it’s my leadership that has them scared. Maybe…”
Maybe.