Golfing legend Greg Norman has doubled down in his bid to lure big-name players to his new Saudi-backed tour by taking on US PGA Tour bosses and declaring “this is just the beginning” as the sport’s biggest names baulk at jumping ship.
Leading players have this week pledged their allegiance to the US PGA Tour.
Former world No.1 Rory McIlroy declared Norman’s proposed $A2.9bn Super Golf League was “dead in the water” after the mass rejections of multimillion-dollar signing bonuses.
But Norman, the chief of Saudi-backed LIV Golf Investments behind the SGL, has insisted the plan is still on. In a strongly worded letter addressed to US PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan, Norman said he “can’t ban players” from joining his tour and he “knows for a fact” plenty are still interested.
“Commissioner – this is just the beginning. It certainly is not the end,” Norman signed off the letter, which has been widely shared online.
Norman said the PGA Tour’s lawyers must be “holding their breath” if they think playing bans wouldn’t be challenged.
“As has been widely reported, you have threatened the players on the PGA Tour, all of whom are independent contractors, with lifetime bans if they decide to play golf in a league sponsored by anyone other than the Tour,” he wrote.
“But when you try to bluff and intimidate players by bullying and threatening them, you are guilty of going too far, being unfair, and you likely are in violation of the law. Simply put, you can’t ban players from playing golf.
“Players have the right and the freedom to play where we like. I know for a fact that many PGA players were and still are interested in playing for a new league, in addition to playing for the Tour.
“What is wrong with that? What is wrong with allowing players to make their own decisions about where to play and how often to play? What is so wrong with player choice? Why do you feel so threatened that you would resort to such a desperate, unwise and unenforceable threat?”
Earlier this week, dual US Open champion Brooks Koepka said “somebody will sell out” and join Norman’s breakaway billon-dollar tour.
While the majority ofxjmtzyw the world’s best players have knocked back offers, Koepka was among voices who declared Norman’s push was not “dead in the water” as McIlroy proclaimed.
Koepka, a four-time major winner, has no interest in joining Norman despite reports of signing bonuses in excess of $100m that tour rival Bryson de Chambeau knocked back.
But he thinks Norman will convince some players to jump ship.
“I think it’s going to still keep going. I think there will still be talk. Everyone talks about money, (and) they’ve got enough of it,” he said at the Honda Classic in Florida.
“I don’t see it backing down; they can just double up and they’ll figure it out. They’ll get their guys. Somebody will sell out and go to it.”
Ricky Fowler, who has spoken with those behind the Saudi-tour, said it wouldn’t be “going away” anytime soon, and the organisers wouldn’t back down despite so many players publicly making clear their allegiance to the US PGA Tour.
“No, I don‘t see it going away. They’re not scared about the situation,” he said.
“It’s been interesting to kind of learn the ins and outs of both sides, but, yeah, it has been an interesting week or so these last five to seven days.
“I‘ve always looked at having competition as a good thing … whatever it may be. If you’re trying to be the best, you want to find ways that you can be better than your competitors. It goes through sport, business, tours, whatever it may be.
“I just hope that everything kind of continues to either head the right way or not the wrong way, and we can all end up in a better place in the future.”
