Greg Norman believes that 'LIV Golf has been accepted' after initial misinterpretation of PGA Tour x PIF fiasco
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is attending the 2024 Open Championship, a welcome sign for the world of golf. Norman is a guest of the R&A this weekend, which comes as a surprise after their long drawn-out spat.
Earlier this year, Norman was not invited to the 2024 Masters and had to buy a standard ticket to enter the event as a fan. However, things seem to have calmed down between the LIV Golf Series and the PGA Tour. He made an appearance at the Open Championship to support the LIV Golfers currently in contention.
Speaking about the current situation between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, Greg Norman said that everything has settled down. He said to Golf Digest:
“I think that was the right thing for golf, yeah. I think in the beginning there was a lot of I guess misinterpretation of the situation [LIV Golf’s divide with the PGA Tour]. I love seeing the way things have settled down, now. Everybody's seen that within the ecosystem, LIV Golf has been accepted and the players deserve to be in these big championships.”
Greg Norman was given all the privileges of a past champion while attending this year's Open Championship, including official access and hospitality.
Greg Norman calls the Open Championship the best major, and says 'it is a true open'
Greg Norman said that the Open Championship is his favorite major. He also commented on the rotation of host golf courses at the Open, as well as the thrill of playing at a links course.
“It's good to be back. The Open has a lot of history for me. To me, it was the best championship of all. The Masters is the Masters, but I put this one up above all four of them because it is a true open. People can come and play [qualify]. In my professional career, I prided myself on coming back and playing the Open Championship," he added.
Norman also commented on the conditions at the Royal Troon Golf Course, saying that it is a 'quirky' golf course that is a hard one to navigate in the windy conditions.
Shane Lowry seemed relatively unaffected by the windy conditions at the end of day 2, as he led the Open with a score of -7. The likes of Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg, and Tiger Woods struggled immensely on the course, failing to make the cut.
Daniel Brown, Dean Burmester, and Justin Rose were also at the top of the leaderboard after the second day of play. The Open Championship marks the fourth and final major of the 2024 season and boasts a prize purse of $17 million.