Greg Norman ‘heard’ that Tiger Woods prevented him from attending an Open Championship winners dinner
The fallout from the creation of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league sparked a civil war between some of the sport’s most legendary figures.
Rory McIlroy acted as the face of the PGA Tour in their efforts to critique the new league. He was persistently vocal and adamantly against the new tour, criticising the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, who joined LIV Golf.
McIlroy has since softened his stance, admitting he was too judgmental towards the players who left the PGA Tour, but he wasn’t the only one to take that position.
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Former LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman said that he “heard” that Tiger Woods prevented him from attending a pre-tournament dinner for Open Championship winners.
Greg Norman ‘heard’ that Tiger Woods prevented him from attending Open Championship winners dinner
Before every Open Championship, a pre-tournament dinner is hosted for the previous winners of the historic event. Norman is a two-time Open winner, lifting the Claret Jug in 1986 and 1993. But in 2022, he never received his invite.
Michael Bamberger of Golf.com explained, “When the British Open, the great championship of the world that Norman won twice, was last held in St. Andrews in 2022, Norman was not invited to a pre-tournament dinner of former winners, because, per semi-official R&A word, his presence would be a “distraction,” owing to Norman’s role as the face of the upstart LIV golf league.
“Norman said that he had ‘heard’ that Tiger Woods did not want him there, and that Woods told R&A officials that if Norman attended, he would not. ‘But I don’t know that that’s what happened,’ Norman said. ‘It’s just what I have heard.’”
Woods, the greatest golfer of all time, is one of the greatest ambassadorial assets that the PGA Tour has. He reportedly turned down an offer of $750 million to join LIV Golf, remaining ever-loyal to the PGA.
If Woods did indeed threaten not to attend the dinner if Norman was invited, then frankly, who would the R&A prefer to attend? It’s a no-brainer for them.
Tensions between Norman and the R&A have since thawed. The Australian was spotted at the 2025 Open Championship with an R&A guest badge. But despite a ceasefire in golf’s civil war, a proper resolution doesn’t appear to be on the horizon.
Successful 2025 leaves PGA Tour with leverage over LIV Golf
2025 was a resounding success for the PGA Tour in its ongoing battle with LIV Golf. On the course, all four majors were won by PGA Tour players. McIlroy won the Masters, Scottie Scheffler won The Open Championship and the PGA Championship, and J.J. Spain won the U.S. Open.
Only three LIV players, DeChambeau, individual title winner Jon Rahm, and Tyrell Hatton, were selected for the Ryder Cup. Admittedly, that’s partly because only their major championship performances counted towards the Ryder Cup standings. DeChambeau impressively qualified automatically despite that.
Off the course, the PGA Tour continued to dominate. They reportedly drew up to 10 times the number of viewers on overlapping weekends, with millions of viewers tuning in for some of the PGA Tour’s signature events.
LIV continues to improve its TV ratings following an American broadcast deal with Fox, but overall, their numbers are modest compared to the PGA Tour.
Cracks in LIV Golf’s armour have also begun to show. It was announced in July that LIV was no longer planning to pay players’ fines imposed by the DP World Tour, leading to speculation about the future of European players’ presence on LIV.
Right now, the PGA Tour has all the leverage and has no incentive to work out a deal with LIV Golf.
