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LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman was lurking around Augusta National as a ticketed spectator before the opening round of The Masters — the first convergence of LIV and the PGA Tour stars in 2024.
Norman said he was on hand to support LIV Golf League members.
“I’m here because we have 13 players that won 10 Masters between them,” Norman told the Washington Post. “So, I’m here just to support them, do the best I can to show them, ‘Hey, you know, the boss is here rooting for you.'”
Among the LIV entrants, Phil Mickelson (3x), Bubba Watson (2x), Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm, Bubba Watson, and Charl Schwartzel own green jackets. Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith are major winners.
Joaquin Niemann earned a special invite for his performance in non-LIV events. Adam Meronk and Tyrrell Hatton qualified for ending 2023 ranked top-50 in the Official World Golf Ranking before jumping circuits.
“There’s probably a couple (of LIV players) that have been overlooked that should be in,” Norman said. “I’m not going to give it a definitive number, but there are definitely quality players that have done incredible performances over the last six to nine months that are worthy of it.”
In 2023, LIV saw three of its members finish in the top five: Koepka (T2), Mickelson (T2), and Reed (T5) — quelling any doubt that their relatively limited schedule would lead to Augusta rust.
At the moment, LIV Golf remains unrecognized by the OWGR. Augusta chairman Fred Ridley didn’t rule out the possibility that the Masters might consider a pathway for LIV players.
“Our goal is to have, to the greatest extent possible, the best field in golf, the best players in the world,” Ridley said. “Having said that, we never have had all the best players in the world because of the structure of our tournament. It’s an invitational. It’s a limited field, it’s a small field. But we do have that flexibility … and I would not foreclose that we would consider that in the future.”
Norman observed practice rounds of Rahm, Garcia and Reed, according to the Post. He was spotted catching up with fellow Australian Min Woo Lee.
#SHARK IN THE WATER: LIV CEO Greg Norman has been spotted on the grounds at Augusta National, reportedly walking the course as a ticketed customer, per @dcsportsbog. (
: David Cannon / Getty) pic.twitter.com/dafhPePyOE
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 10, 2024
“Walking around here today, there’s not one person who said to me, ‘Why did you do LIV?’ ” Norman told the Post. “There’s been hundreds of people, even security guys, stopping me, saying, ‘Hey, what you’re doing is fantastic.’ To me, that tells you that what we have and the platform fits within the ecosystem, and it’s good for the game of golf.”
“The Shark” competed in 23 Masters, finishing runner-up on three occasions.
Norman had not been at Augusta since 2021, as an analyst for SiriusXM. He was hired as LIV CEO later that year.
The Masters did not extend an invite to Norman in 2023.
“Funnily enough, I haven’t been invited,” Norman told the Telegraph. “As a major winner I always was before, but they only sent me a grounds pass last year and nothing, zilch, this time around.”
“The primary issue and the driver there is that I want the focus this week to be on the Masters competition,” Ridley explained at the time.
Last June, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s backer, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, announced a framework agreement with a Dec. 31 deadline. No deal has been reached.
As progress has stalled — recent Tiger Woods-hosted Bahamas summit notwithstanding — Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm have led a chorus of stars calling for unification of professional golf.
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