Rory McIlroy Says Greg Norman 'Needs to Go' for PGA Tour, LIV to Reach Compromise
Nov 15, 2022
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - NOVEMBER 15: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his second shot on the 2nd hole during the DP World Tour Championship - Rolex Pro-AM prior to the DP World Tour Championship on the Earth Course at Jumeirah Golf Estates on November 15, 2022 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy is calling for the ouster of LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman as a condition of LIV and the PGA Tour working together moving forward.
"There's a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen," McIlroy told reporters. "I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. He's made his mark, but I think now is the right time to sort of say, 'Look, you've got this thing off the ground, but no one is going to talk unless there's an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.'"
Norman has been the public face of LIV Golf since its outset, serving as president and commissioner. He's also been a vocal critic of the PGA Tour business practices, stoking tensions between the competing golf leagues.
LIV Golf and several of its golfers have an ongoing lawsuit against the PGA Tour, alleging unfair business practices. The PGA Tour has countersued LIV Golf, saying it coaxed players into breaching existing contracts. Norman has been among the leaders in attempting to woo stars to LIV with massive signing bonuses.
"It's obviously been a very contentious year in golf," McIlroy said. "And I've said this: The best thing in golf is to have all the best players playing together, and what's happening right now, that's not happening. So I fear for the game when that's going on.
"It's contentious because there's lawsuits going on and people suing people; it's very, very messy. So again, if all that stuff can be sorted out one way or the other, then you can get to the stage where there's forgiveness and people can have dialogue and come to some sort of common ground or compromise. But while all this is happening, it's very hard to do that."
Rumors recently persisted that LIV Golf was considering replacing Norman with Taco Bell CEO Mark King, although that was denied by Majed Al Sorour, the CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation.
LIV Golf is funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund. The league has been accused of being an attempt to "sportswash" the human rights atrocities committed by the Saudi Arabian government.
Bubba Watson Says Criticism of LIV's Guaranteed Contracts 'Makes Me Laugh'
Nov 2, 2022
DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 28: Team Captain Bubba Watson of Niblicks GC commentates during the quarterfinals of the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 28, 2022 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
The players who jumped from the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf Series have been heavily criticized for accepting big-money deals because of the upstart tour's ties to the Saudi Arabian government.
However, veteran golfer Bubba Watson finds such criticism laughable because he said he's also received guaranteed appearance money during his time on the PGA Tour, which is against the rules.
"It makes me laugh because on the PGA Tour, I got paid behind closed doors to show up at tournaments, many tournaments," Watson told ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "And if Bubba Watson's not the best, that means the best were getting paid better than me and more than me. And so it's guaranteed money. I miss the cut, I still make money. I make the cut, I make extra money."
The PGA Tour provided a statement to Schlabach on Wednesday addressing Watson's insinuation and said it "prohibits the payment of appearance money to players as an inducement to play in a particular tournament."
The statement continued: "We are aware that certain tournament sponsors may contract with a player to perform a sponsor-related activity during tournament week for which they receive nominal compensation. This is permissible under our guidelines."
A two-time Masters champion and 12-time winner on the PGA Tour, Watson is one of many high-profile players to have accepted guaranteed, multiyear contracts from LIV Golf. Schlabach noted that six-time major champion Phil Mickelson reportedly signed a $200 million deal while former world No. 1 golfer Dustin Johnson reportedly received over $125 million to jump from the PGA Tour.
Several veteran golfers, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, have criticized the players who joined LIV, which is funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Saudi Arabia has a well-documented history of human rights violations and many have accused the nation of using LIV and other sports investments—including purchasing Newcastle United and hosting WWE and Formula 1 events—to engage in sportswashing.
"What these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice?" Woods said at the 150th Open at St. Andrews in July. "What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You're just getting paid a lot of money upfront and playing a few events and playing 54 holes."
While Watson didn't specify how much under-the-table money he received during his time on the PGA Tour, he stood by his claim.
"I'd laugh at [criticism] because we all had some guaranteed money to show up at places," Watson said. "Win, lose, quit, whatever it is, you still got the money. We've all been doing that. We've all been playing for guaranteed money. The critics, it just makes me laugh because that's what we're doing. We don't want to talk about it on tour, but we are getting it."
Dustin Johnson's 4 Aces Win 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship, Earn $16M Prize
Oct 30, 2022
DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 30: Team Captain Cameron Smith of Punch GC and team Captain Dustin Johnson of 4 Aces GC are seen on the sixth green during the team championship stroke-play round of the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 30, 2022 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
The inaugural season for the LIV Golf Invitational Series reached a dramatic denouement Sunday at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami.
Captained by Dustin Johnson, 4 Aces held off Cameron Smith and Punch GC to win the team competition and collect the $16 million prize for first place.
Johnson and Pat Perez both stepped up down the stretch. Perez sank a long birdie putt on No. 9 to give 4 Aces GC a two-shot cushion, and Johnson followed up with a birdie on No. 15 to widen the gap on Punch GC to three shots.
Another pair of rapid-fire birdies from Perez and Johnson maintained that advantage.
Still, Smith wasn't ready to throw in the towel. The Australian had a chance to put his team into the lead but couldn't overcome a poor tee shot on No. 18. Swinging out of the rough to the right of the fairway, he deposited his approach into the gallery surrounding the green.
As that was happening, Patrick Reed birdied No. 2 to restore 4 Aces GC's one-shot edge. Smith nailed a par putt to put the pressure squarely on Johnson. The two-time major champion is no stranger to big moments, and he was money with the tournament hanging in the balance.
Johnson, Reed and Perez were all two under for the day, with Talor Gooch doing his part by ending at one under.
The beauty of LIV Golf's team format is that collective strength is required to win the title. One or two bad showings can torpedo a squad's hopes of finishing on top.
For Stinger GC, the quest for the title was effectively over before the halfway mark after Branden Grace bogeyed No. 2 and then double-bogeyed No. 4. Double bogeys from Charl Schwartzel and Hennie du Plessis on the front nine didn't help, either.
It was largely the same story for Punch GC. Marc Leishman was sitting at three over through two holes and added another bogey on No. 6. He finished at two over, which was enough to stymie the best efforts of teammates Smith, Matt Jones and Wade Ormsby.
Smith did his best to almost single-handedly lift Punch GC to the title. He birdied the 12th hole to bring his team into a tie for the overall lead with seven holes to play.
The 2022 Open Championship winner had the lowest individual score of the round, finishing at seven under.
Early on, it looked like Sunday's final would be a two-horse race between 4 Aces and Smash GC, with the two teams creating some distance on the competition. As 4 Aces maintained a position atop the leaderboard, though, Smash GC wilted on the back nine.
Chase Koepka double-bogeyed Nos. 3 and 7. Brooks Koepka, who started the round on the 10th tee, bogeyed the ninth hole and lost three more shots on his next five holes after making the turn.
LIV Golf isn't going anywhere with its first year now in the books. The series laid out its plans for a 12-team, 14-event 2023 season, and it almost certainly isn't through attempting to poach more stars from the PGA Tour.
Brooks Koepka's Smash GC Among Teams to Qualify for 2022 LIV Golf Team Championship
Oct 29, 2022
US golfer Brooks Koepka swings his club during the semifinals of the LIV Golf Invitational Miami 2022 at Trump National Doral Miami Golf Club in Miami, Florida on October 29, 2022. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)
The semifinals of the LIV Golf team championship were held Saturday at Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami.
Here's a look at the scores and some highlights of the action from the day of golf as four teams played their way into Sunday's final round.
Results
Aces GC def. Cleeks GC, 2-1
Dustin Johnson def. Shergo Al Kurdi, 5 and 3
Patrick Reed lost to Laurie Canter, 2 and 1
Pat Perez and Talor Gooch def. Graeme McDowell and Richard Bland, 1 up
Stinger GC def. Crushers GC, 2-1
Louis Oosthuizen def. Bryson DeChambeau, 23 holes
Branden Grace lost to Paul Casey, 20 holes
Charl Schwartzel and Hennie du Plessis def. Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri, 2 up
Punch GC def. Fireballs GC, 2-1
Cameron Smith lost to Sergio Garcia, 2 and 1
Marc Leishman def. Carlos Ortiz, 1 up
Matt Jones and Wade Ormsby def. Eugenio Chacarra and Abraham Ancer, 1 up
Smash GC def. Majesticks GC, 3-0
Brooks Koepka def. Ian Poulter, 3 and 1
Peter Uihlein def. Lee Westwood, 4 and 2
Jason Kokrak and Chase Koepka def. Sam Horsfield and Henrik Stenson, 1 up
Highlights
The Brooks Koepka-led Smash GC came out of the gates on fire and had a clean sweep of Majesticks GC to become the first team to advance to the championship.
Dustin Johnson started off the top-seeded Aces GC with some momentum by defeating Shergo Al Kurdi of Cleeks GC. However, the Aces faced some nail-biting moments after Patrick Reed lost to Laurie Canter. The team managed to advance on Pat Perez and Talor Gooch's win over Graeme McDowell and Richard Bland.
Punch GC managed to overcome a loss by Cameron Smith to Sergio Garcia of Fireballs GC to punch their ticket to the championship. Marc Leishman helped save the day with his win over Carlos Ortiz.
Stinger GC was the final team to clinch a spot in the championship with a win over Crushers GC. Louis Oosthuizen outlasted Bryson DeChambeau in a 23-hole marathon. DeChambeau had the opportunity to end the match early, but his long putt barely missed the hole. A key moment in the extra holes occurred when DeChambeau hit a tee shot that went left and landed in the water, opening the door for Oosthuizen to take advantage.
The four teams competing in the championship Sunday will go up against each other in a shotgun-start round of stroke play. The team with the lowest score at the end of the round will be the first LIV Golf Invitational Series team champion.
Phil Mickelson on LIV Golf's Future: 'I Think There’s a Lot of Possibilities'
Oct 29, 2022
DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 28: Team Captain Phil Mickelson of Hy Flyers GC plays a shot on the driving range during the quarterfinals of the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 28, 2022 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Chris Trotman/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
As the inaugural season for LIV Golf draws to a close this weekend in Miami, Phil Mickelson is optimistic about the circuit's future.
Speaking to Adam Woodard of GolfWeek, Mickelson said he doesn't know where LIV is going to go but he's excited to be part of it.
"I think there’s a lot of possibilities and I’m not sure how it’ll play out," he explained. "I just know that in the next, over the course of the next year, a lot of stuff is going to happen, and things will kind of iron themselves out."
Mickelson was criticized after he spoke to golf writer Alan Shipnuck about Saudi Arabia's "horrible record on human rights" but said he would consider working with the Saudi-backed LIV Tour "because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."
Shipnuck published the comments, which made during an interview for a Mickelson biography, in February on the Fire Pit Collective website.
Lefty announced on Feb. 22 he would temporarily step away from the PGA Tour due to backlash from his comments. He returned to the course on June 8 after signing with LIV for a deal worth around $200 million, per Brentley Romine of Golf Channel.
As LIV Golf continues to face criticism as a sportswashing tool for the Saudi Arabian government, the circuit is planning for an increased schedule in 2023. This season only featured eight tournaments, including the team championship in Miami this weekend.
Per Alex Miceli of Sports Illustrated, LIV officials were circulating a tentative schedule for next year with 14 events starting in February and ending in September.
Mickelson is among several former PGA Tour stars who jumped ship to join LIV. Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Sergio Garcia and Dustin Johnson also signed up for the new circuit.
In seven LIV tournaments this season, Mickelson finished outside the top 20 five times. His best finish was a tie for eighth place in Chicago in September.
Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka Losses Headline LIV Golf Invitational Series 2022 Day 1
Oct 28, 2022
Australian golfer Cameron Smith plays his shot on the 15th hole during the 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Miami at Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Miami, Florida, on October 28, 2022. (Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP) (Photo by GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)
LIV Golf held the quarterfinals of its team championship on Friday at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Miami.
Below, we'll take a look at the scores and key moments from the day of golf.
Results
Smash GC def. Niblicks GC, 2-1
Brooks Koepka lost to Harold Varner III, 4&3
Peter Uihlein def. James Piot, 5&3
Jason Kokrak and Chase Koepka def. Turk Pettit and Hudson Swafford, 2&1
Majesticks GC def. Iron Heads GC, 3-0
Ian Poulter def. Kevin Na, 4&2
Lee Westwood def. Anthony Kim, 4&3
Sam Horsfield and Henrik Stenson def. Sadom Kaewkanjana and Phachara Khongwatmai, 4&2
Cleeks GC def. Torque GC, 2-1
Shergo Al Kurdi lost to Joaquin Niemann, 5&3
Laurie Canter def. Jediah Morgan, 1 up
Graeme McDowell and Richard Bland def. Scott Vincent and Adrian Otaegui, 2 up
Punch GC def. Hy Flyers GC, 2-1
Cameron Smith def. Phil Mickelson, 1 up
Marc Leishman def. Matthew Wolff, 4&2
Matt Jones and Wade Ormsby lost to Bernd Wiesberger and Cameron Tringale, 3&2
Highlights
The most anticipated match of the day was Smith facing Mickelson, and it lived up to the hype, coming down to the final hole, where Smith prevailed:
So the semfinals are now set, with Aces GC set to take on Cleeks, the Crushers facing Stinger, Fireballs taking on Punch GC and Smash GC facing Majesticks.
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series remains a controversial competition, with its critics accusing it of being a sportswashing enterprise existing to gloss over Saudi Arabia's history of human-rights violations.
The Trump National Doral Golf Club is owned by former President Donald Trump's Trump Organization. Trump is currently the subject of various congressional, federal and state investigations, ranging from his potentially illegal business practices to his reported withholding of sensitive government documents after he was no longer president.
Bryson DeChambeau: I'm Still Part of LIV Golf Lawsuit vs. PGA Tour out of 'Principle'
Oct 27, 2022
DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 27: Team Captain Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC plays a shot on the tenth hole during a pro-am prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 27, 2022 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
Bryson DeChambeau will remain in LIV Golf's lawsuit against the PGA Tour because he believes he's owed a $1.75 million Player Impact Program bonus from the PGA Tour after only being paid half of the $3.5 million he said he should have earned for finishing fifth in 2021.
"It's not about the money; it's about the principle," he told ESPN's Mark Schlabach. "It's the way you deal with situations."
The PGA Tour's requirements for receiving the bonus were twofold: Participate in a PGA Tour event he hadn't played in across the previous four seasons, and participate in a charity event.
DeChambeau did the first at the Valero Texas Open in April. He said he attempted to fulfill the second requirement in May, but the PGA Tour said he wouldn't satisfy the requirement because he was no longer a PGA Tour member in "good standing."
While he didn't officially join LIV Golf until June, rumors had persisted since February that he was going to be one of the defectors.
"They said because you're not in good standing, we're not allowing you to do something to help out junior golf and junior golfers," DeChambeau told Schlabach. "To me, that's childish. It just shows where they stand emotionally. I respect and understand it, but when you've completed something and provided entertainment for them last year, that's the reason I'm in the lawsuit."
DeChambeau signed a contract with LIV Golf that reportedly is paying him more than $125 million.
He was one of 11 players suing the PGA Tour for attempting to monopolize the sport and discourage competition from other leagues like LIV Golf. The Saudi-backed league, which has been accused of being a sportswashing operation given Saudi Arabia's human rights violations, then joined the suit as a plaintiff.
Since then, eight players have removed themselves from the lawsuit, including Phil Mickelson. But DeChambeau remains.
"It's really been frustrating over the last six years that I've had to deal with [the PGA Tour]," he said. "It's consistently frustration after frustration of them not handling things correctly."
Augusta National, USGA Among Parties Added to Antitrust Investigation into PGA Tour
Oct 26, 2022
AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 10: Scottie Scheffler receives the Green Jacket from Hideki Matsuyama of Japan after his three stroke victory following the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2022, in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images)
Augusta National, the United States Golf Association and PGA of America have been added to the Department of Justice's ongoing antitrust investigation into the PGA Tour, per Louise Radnofsky and Andrew Beaton of the Wall Street Journal.
On Aug. 3, 11 players who left the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf International Series filed an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA to challenge the circuit's decision to suspend them from Tour-sanctioned events.
Later that month, LIV Golf joined the lawsuit. As of September, at least seven players have removed their names from the lawsuit.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the scope of the DOJ's investigation is "wider than was previously known" with several of the most important governing bodies included.
Augusta National has turned over documents to the Justice Department as part of the investigation. Radnofsky and Beaton noted Augusta National is "featured prominently" in LIV's complaint.
"Augusta National representatives, the complaint says, threatened to disinvite players from the Masters if they joined LIV," Radnofsky and Beaton wrote. "The club's chairman Fred Ridley personally instructed a number of participants in last year's Masters to not sign on with LIV, it added. Ridley didn't respond to an email seeking comment."
Ridley is portrayed as having played "a central role" in the situation, including threatening the CEO of the Asian Tour with consequences if it continued its relationship with LIV Golf.
LIV Golf and the MENA Tour announced an alliance earlier this month, with the hope of increasing the exposure of the MENA Tour and making LIV golfers eligible to earn points in the Official World Golf Rankings.
A spokesperson for the USGA told Radnofsky and Beaton it "intends to fully comply with any and all requests" related to the probe.
LIV's antitrust lawsuit claims the PGA Tour has been using its monopoly power in an attempt to squash any competition and unfairly discipline LIV players.
World Golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, met with a Republican Study Committee in Washington, D.C., last month to discuss the antitrust lawsuit and competitiveness issues involving the PGA Tour.
Per Emily Brooks of The Hill, Norman received "pushback" from members of the committee.
"Don't come in here and act like you're doing some great thing while you're pimping a billion dollars of Saudi Arabian money and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the United States," Texas representative Chip Roy told reporters about the meeting with Norman.
Roy also described Norman's efforts as “PR for Saudi Arabia—it's PR for LIV Golf."
LIV has been criticized because many see it as a way for Saudi Arabia to engage in sportswashing—using sports teams, leagues and events to distract from a nation's abuses and improve its reputation globally. The Saudi Public Investment Fund, which operates the golf tour, purchased the Premier League's Newcastle United in 2021 and has also recently invested in hosting Formula 1 and WWE events. The Saudi regime has been accused of numerous human rights violations, including the murder of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi.
During the first LIV Golf event in England from June 9-11, the PGA Tour announced it suspended all 17 members of the Tour who participated in the tournament. It said players who participated in future events would also be suspended.
LIV Golf Invitational Series 2022 Miami: Tee Times, Prize Money and Predictions
Oct 26, 2022
DORAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 25: Captain of the 4 Aces GC Dustin Johnson practices on the driving range during a practice round prior to the LIV Golf Invitational - Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on October 25, 2022 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/LIV Golf/via Getty Images)
The inaugural LIV Golf season is coming to a close, and an individual champion has already been crowned. Dustin Johnson finished atop the standings and earned the $18 million prize that came with the title. But the 38-year-old now has his sights set on more.
Throughout the LIV Golf season, golfers have also been competing in teams to earn points and money. And the final tournament of the year, which is set for Friday through Sunday at Trump National Doral in Miami, will be the team championship.
This will be a 54-hole event, just like the first seven tournaments of the season. It will also feature a shotgun start, beginning at 12:15 p.m. ET on each of the three days.
The purse for the event is $50 million, with the winning team splitting $16 million among its four golfers. Each of the 12 teams will receive some prize money.
Johnson's team, 4 Aces GC, is first in the team standings with 152 points, 56 ahead of the next closest team. Johnson, the captain, is joined by Patrick Reed, Talor Gooch and Pat Perez.
Here's everything else you need to know heading into the LIV Golf team championship set to take place in Miami.
Preview, Predictions
It's not a surprise that 4 Aces GC has built such a commanding lead in the LIV Golf team standings through the first seven tournaments of the season. The Dustin Johnson-captained squad won four straight events at one point in the year and hasn't finished worse than sixth in any of the other three.
But this weekend's event in Miami will be a bit different. That's because the format is changing with it being the team championship.
Unlike the first seven tournaments, golfers won't be competing in stroke play. Instead, there will be match play taking place over the three days, and here's how it's going to work.
The top four teams automatically advance to Saturday. In addition to 4 Aces GC, that will include Crushers GC (captained by Bryson DeChambeau), Fireballs GC (captained by Sergio Garcia) and Stinger GC (captained by Louis Oosthuizen).
The Nos. 5-12 seeds will face off in head-to-head matchups on Friday, with the four winners moving on. On Saturday, those four teams will face the top four seeds in the same match play format.
That will leave four teams remaining on Sunday, when the 16 golfers will play in pairs. Every competitor's score will go to his team, and the team with the lowest score among the four squads will be crowned the LIV Golf team champion.
So even though 4 Aces GC built such a big advantage in the standings this season, anything can happen this weekend. If their foursome has a bad day on Saturday, they could get eliminated and not make it to Sunday's action.
Don't expect that to happen, though, despite 4 Aces GC not finishing better than fourth over the past two LIV Golf events. The stakes will be higher in Miami, and Johnson and his teammates should get back on track.
But will it be enough for 4 Aces GC to win the inaugural LIV Golf team title?
The prediction here is that Johnson and his teammates will fall just short on Sunday, finishing second. Instead, it will be Crushers GC winning the title, even though they didn't win any of the previous seven tournaments.
Crushers GC is poised to break through in Miami after finishing second or third in four of the seven events so far, including in three of the past four. The quartet of DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Charles Howell III and Anirban Lahiri have been playing good golf of late, and they'll translate that momentum into success in the match play format this weekend.
Prediction: DeChambeau leads Crushers GC to team championship
