Writing an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, LIV Golf CEO, Greg Norman, stated that “LIV Golf is the best thing that has ever happened to the careers of professional golfers” and “the (World) ranking system must be independent if it is to be credible.”
Recently, the PGA Tour’s Commissioner, Jay Monahan, announced a number of wholesale changes to combat the ongoing and future threat posed by the Saudi-backed series. Now, just under a month later, Norman has taken a dig at the PGA Tour, writing: “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”
The 67-year-old went on to add: “It is also what you get when a serious challenger suddenly confronts a 54-year-old entrenched monopoly. On Aug. 24, the PGA Tour responded to LIV Golf by boosting its purses, setting a pay floor, and structuring events so that fans can see the tour’s best players…
“It is a classic case of competition benefiting workers and customers. LIV Golf is the best thing that has ever happened to the careers of professional golfers. The PGA Tour would never have changed without it.”
A number of big names have jumped ship to LIV Golf, with Cameron Smith the 12th Major winner to join the Saudi-backed series. Not only has the current Champion Golfer of the Year joined LIV, but he is also No. 3 in the World Rankings.
However, LIV Golf is yet to secure OWGR points for its tournaments, something that Norman says “needs to change.” He went on to add: “The Official World Golf Ranking system determines not only a golfer’s ranking, but also his qualification for major tournaments and the Olympics.
“These rankings heavily influence how much sponsors pay players. The ranking system must be independent if it is to be credible. With a board dominated by the PGA Tour, the Official World Golf Ranking currently excludes LIV Golf events. That needs to change. If it doesn’t, fans and sponsors won’t know who is the best in the sport.”
It’s not the first time that Norman has ranted about the World Rankings. Recently, he sent a letter to the OWGR citing the strength of the fields in LIV events as a reason to be included, despite the events not fulfilling certain criteria, like a 36-hole cut or 72-hole tournament length.
Following the letter, Norman featured in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in which he doubled down on his thoughts that the OWGR will cease to be relevant if they ignore those playing with LIV.
“It makes OWGR look obsolete if they don’t (accept LIV). If they wake up at the end of the year and Dustin Johnson is 102 in the world, isn’t that a laughing stock to the OWGR? There’s two ways they can go: they can either fold, or they include LIV into OWGR.”