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Two-time Open Champion not invited to St Andrews celebrations
Words: GolfPunk
Photography: LIV Golf/Getty Images
The R&A has made it clear where it stands on the LIV Golf issue by not asking Greg Norman to any of the festivities at the 150th Open Championship next week, including the Champions' Dinner. A statement from the R&A read as follows:
In response to enquiries regarding The R&A Celebration of Champions field and the Champions' Dinner, we can confirm that we contacted Greg Norman to advise him that we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion. The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the Championship and its heritage. Unfortunately, we do not believe that would be the case if Greg were to attend. We hope that when circumstances allow Greg will be able to attend again in future.
Norman, the LIV Golf chief executive who won The Open in 1986 and 1993, described the decision as "petty". "I would have thought the R&A would have stayed above it all given their position in world golf," the Australian said the 67-year-old Australian. "All I have done is promote and grow the game of golf globally, on and off the golf course, for more than four decades." The game remains divided over the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, which has lured many big names, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Although the R&A allows LIV players who qualified to compete at St Andrews, where the Open starts on Thursday, it is a clear marker for future qualification criteria.
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