It’s safe to say that LIV Golf CEO and former PGA Tour golfer Greg Norman isn’t taking the PGA Tour’s recent decision that will severely punish anyone who tries to join their Saudi Arabian event.
But Norman may have taken his frustration a little far with comments he made this week. Speaking to The Times, Norman brushed off the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi (allegedly at the hands of the government) by saying “we’ve all made mistakes”.
“Everybody has owned up to it, right? 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,” Norman said.
The murder of Khashoggi is a hotly highly contentious issue though. Norman’s dismissive comments have led to a furious response by fans and the wider sports world:
Greg Norman’s LIV Golf and their Super Golf League is funded by the Saudi Arabian government with designs on becoming a competitor to the PGA Tour.
But the PGA Tour indicated this week that any golfer that joins the LIV Golf faces potential sanctions ranging from fines to suspensions.Norman has railed against the PGA Tour ever since.
However, jumping to the defense of the Saudi Arabian government is probably not going to garner him more sympathy.
Norman is determined to push forward with the tour regardless.