Norman ready to bury hatchet and “sit down” with McIlroy and Woods but insists “I’d win the debate!”
Former LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman wants to sit down and bury the hatchet with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy and hear them admit they’ve benefited hugely from the Saudi-backed circuit.
Woods and McIlroy were highly critical of the Australian legend for LIV Golf’s disruption of the men’s game.
The eruption of the PIF-funded rebel tour forced the PGA Tour to invent the Player Impact Program (PIP), which paid out a whopping $290 million to players between 2021 and 2024 to discourage them from jumping ship.
Woods and McIlroy were the biggest beneficiaries over the PIP’s four-year lifetime with the American pocketing $45m and the Co Down man another $35m.
McIlroy and Woods have since started the TFL simulator league and while Norman hasn’t watched it, he wishes them well but also wants to admit that LIV has financially benefitted them.
“I would love to (sit down with Woods and McIlroy),” Norman told Australian Golf Digest just days after Scott O'Neil replaced him as LIV Golf CEO.
“I would love them to recognise the fact that – like Tiger with his PIP money – that only came because of LIV, right? So Tiger benefitted from that. Rory’s definitely benefitted from that.
“I would love to sit down and talk to them about it, no question about it. Because I’m not a judgmental person and you only learn the facts and truth when you hear the other side of it.
“But, yes, would I like to sit down with them? Sure, absolutely. And you know what? I’d win the debate.”
McIlroy was hugely critical of Norman in 2022, remarking: “Greg should exit stage left because no one is going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room.”
He’s since softened his stance, telling reporters in Dubai last week that “Greg obviously took a lot of flack in LIV’s first couple of years. He’s probably one of the only people in golf that could have taken on that role.
“So he got it off the ground and you’ve got to commend him for that. Now it’s time for someone with a bit more experience in this to take over.”
Norman, who turns 70 on February 10, insisted he will remain with LIV this year
But while he expressed indifference to the TGL, he wished Woods and McIlroy the best.
“No, I haven’t watched a bit of it because there’s a couple of players who’ve been very vocal against me,” Norman told the magazine.
“So I’m not going to say anything positive or negative about it. All I can say is: the more golf gets exposure in different ways, the better off it is.
“Simulator golf is simulator golf. We had putt-putt and all those miniature golf courses we built around the world. I think innovation is a wonderful thing, I’m not going to belittle that.
“I wish them all the very best and success because it’s the market, right? They’re going to be pulling people into the game of golf…”
As for his future with LIV Golf, Norman said he would remain involved.
“Once my official tenure at LIV is up, which is August 31st of this year, I will stay involved with LIV in some way, shape or form,” said Australian, who plans to rededicate himself to golf course design.
“I’m going to stay on the board. So there will be that part of my life, but it won’t be as consuming as what it was before.”
Patting himself on the back for his work inside and outside the ropes, he added: “When I look back on my past three-and-a-half years, from my past 20 years, oh my gosh, I really have changed the game of golf more than what people realise.”
