World No.1 Rory McIlroy said LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman must step down from his position immediately as golf’s tours need an “adult in the room” to help end the stalemate in their feud.
LIV Golf has lured away some of the PGA Tour’s top players with huge sums of money, leading to a simmering feud within the sport. The players competing in the breakaway series have been suspended from the PGA Tour.
LIV CEO Greg Norman and current world No.1 Rory McIlroy.Credit:Getty Images
LIV has filed a lawsuit accusing the PGA Tour of antitrust violations. The PGA Tour has filed a counterclaim.
Attempts by Europe’s DP World Tour to suspend players have been unsuccessful with LIV golfers still eligible to compete at its showcase events pending a court hearing next year.
Speaking to reporters before the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, McIlroy said that “nothing will happen” as long as the lawsuits were ongoing.
“You’re limited in what you can do. I think from whatever happens with those two things, there’s a few things I’d like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen,” McIlroy said.
“Greg needs to go. He needs to exit stage left. He’s made his mark but now is the right time to say, look, you’ve got this thing off the ground but no one is going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.
“If those two things happen, then things can happen. But right now, it’s a stalemate because there can’t be any other way. Hopefully, something can happen, who knows.”
Australian Norman, a former world No.1, said in September that he was no longer prepared to negotiate with the PGA Tour.
Critics say LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, amounts to “sportswashing” by a nation trying to improve its reputation in the face of criticism over its human rights record.
It was reported last week that Norman would be moving away from his role as commissioner and CEO and that LIV Golf was pursuing Mark King, who formerly ran TaylorMade and now is CEO of Taco Bell. Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation, denied the report.
It was the latest barb McIlroy has tossed at Norman, dating to McIlroy gleefully pointing out in his TV interview in June after he won the Canadian Open that he had more career PGA Tour wins than Norman.
What might have prompted the latest remark was Norman’s interview in Australia on Monday, during which it was announced that LIV Golf would be playing in Adelaide next April.
Norman was talking about the value competition brings to business and sport when he mentioned how PGA Tour players are benefiting from LIV Golf, primarily through a $US100 million “player impact program” that has doubled in size in response to the LIV threat.
The PGA Tour also has 12 elevated events starting next year that average $US20 million in prize money.
“Every PGA Tour player should be thanking LIV, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, because the PIP program wouldn’t have been increased without LIV,” Norman said. “Prize money wouldn’t have been increased without LIV, all these other things that have been introduced by the PGA Tour because of LIV. Competition is the best thing in life, in business and in sport. LIV is not going to go anywhere.”
McIlroy would beg to differ.
“I’ve said this a million times: Tiger is the reason that we are playing for as much as we are playing for,” McIlroy said. “Tiger is the reason that stature of our game is where it is. The generation of Tiger and the generation coming after Tiger have all benefited from him and his achievements and what he’s done for the game of golf.
“I don’t think Tiger should be thankful to anyone for anything. I think everyone else in the game should be thankful.”
Reuters, AP
