Tiger bears his claws: Woods calls to oust Greg Norman in bid to help solve golf civil war
Rachel Schilke
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Tiger Woods believes removing Greg Norman would help solve a civil war between the PGA Tour and the LIV Tour.
Woods, who has been vocal in his opposition toward the Saudi-backed LIV Tour, said during a press conference that Norman, the LIV Tour CEO, “has to go.”
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“I think Greg has to go, first of all,” Woods said. “And then the litigation against us, and our countersuit against them, those would have to be stayed as well. Then we can talk, we can all talk freely.”
The animosity between the two tours began after the LIV Tour drew several household names away from the long-standing PGA Tour with lucrative contract deals. Woods has previously stated that he believes the LIV Tour could jeopardize the development of young players, and those joining are unappreciative of how the PGA Tour helped them succeed.
“I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position,” Woods previously said.
Norman and Woods have long disliked each other, as the LIV CEO believed Woods ignored and disrespected him as he was making his way to No. 1 in the world, per the New York Post.
Norman said via ESPN’s Mark Schlabach in September that he was ending efforts to negotiate a truce with the PGA.
“We have no interest in sitting down with them, to be honest with you, because our product is working,” he said.
In June 2022, the PGA announced it would be suspending 17 players who had resigned their membership in order to compete in LIV Golf, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, and Andy Ogletree.
The organization said that playing in the LIV Golf tour violated PGA’s tournament regulations. In response to their suspensions, Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, and others filed an antitrust lawsuit against PGA.
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Both Woods and Rory Mcllroy declined to join the LIV Tour, with Woods turning down a reportedly 10-figure offer.
Instead, the pair, along with former NBC Sports President Mike McCarley, launched a new virtual golf league, TGL, as part of their company, TMRW Sports. The league is set to launch in January 2024 and PGA Tour champions Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm have committed to playing in it.