Greg Norman response says all of it after Rory McIlroy’s LIV Golf U-turn
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman criticized Rory McIlroy‘s much less harsh stance on the Saudi-backed league, saying, “He judged us based on other people’s opinions.” McIlroy has been one among LIV’s most fierce opponents off the course, closely criticising the league and its gamers within the two years since its inception.
But now it appears the Northern Irishman has modified his tune, one thing Norman has welcomed. The LIV CEO known as McIlroy’s feedback a turning level within the ongoing saga to mix LIV and the PGA Tour. He additionally thanked McIlroy for opening up about altering his preliminary ideas about LIV, the place he mentioned he would retire from golf earlier than becoming a member of their group.
“Happy New Year, golf – That’s my reaction!” Norman mentioned on the Fairway to Heaven podcast. “I’ve got to be honest with you – I’m very appreciative of what Rory said.”
“It’s been a painful couple of years. What we have done is been consistent. Our narrative has been consistent. Our delivering mechanism has been consistent,” he continued.
Norman shared that he appreciated McIlroy’s “falling on his sword” to some extent as a result of he believes that the Irish golfer judged LIV by listening to the opinions of others earlier than formulating one for himself.
The LIV CEO defined that his purpose was all the time to take a seat down with McIlroy and different PGA gamers and clarify their inside operations and the way they will come collectively to impression the sport of golf.
“I say, ‘Hey, thank you, Rory.’ We all knew it was going to work within the golf ecosystem,” he continued. “We all want to be there. We are going to be there – he said that. To me, this is a significant turning point for everybody.”
Over the summer time, McIlroy expressed his displeasure with the PGA Tour following news of a possible merger with LIV, which the gamers weren’t knowledgeable about beforehand. Initially, McIlroy advised that the PGA Tour mustn’t permit any gamers who depart for LIV to return again, and he additionally acknowledged, “I hate LIV. I hope that it goes away.”
During an look on the ‘Stick to Football’ podcast, McIlroy appeared to make an entire 180-degree flip in his opinion about gamers who transition to the LIV Golf League. He admitted that he had been too crucial of these golfers prior to now and now understands that not everybody has the identical monetary success as himself or gamers like Tiger Woods.
“I think at this point, I was maybe a little judgmental of the guys who went to LIV golf at the start, and I think it was a bit of a mistake on my part because I now realize that not everyone is in my position or in Tiger Woods’ position,” mentioned McIlroy.
“We all turn professionals to make a living playing the sports that we do, and I think that’s what I realized over the last two years. I can’t judge people for making that decision, so if I regret anything, it was probably being too judgmental at the start.”
Norman speculated that McIlroy might have modified his thoughts after speaking with Ryder Cup teammate Jon Rahm, who joined the group on a $300 million contract. The Irish golfer remained agency on not becoming a member of LIV, saying his stalling course of is properly documented.