Greg Norman, who is the CEO and commissioner of the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, isn’t welcome at the British Open’s Celebration of Champions event on Monday or next week’s Champions’ Dinner at St. Andrews.
The R&A informed the two-time British Open champion that he won’t be allowed to attend either event ahead of the year’s final major championship. Norman, who won the Open at Turnberry in 1986 and at Royal St. George’s in 1993, would have been eligible to play in the four-hole exhibition as well as attend the annual dinner.
“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,” the R&A, which informed the 67-year-old of the news on Saturday, said in a statement. “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 is among those at the center of the controversy surrounding LIV Golf, which has fractured the sport by poaching a number of golf’s stars from the PGA Tour, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.
“I’m disappointed,” Norman told Australian Golf Digest on Saturday. “I would have thought the R&A would have stayed above it all given their position in world golf. [It’s] petty, as all I have done is promote and grow the game golf golf globally, on and off the golf course, for more than four decades.”
The league, which features 54-hole tournaments with no cut and guaranteed money, has drawn the ire of a number of organizations, including a 9/11 survivors group because it is financially backed by the Saudi Arabian government. It is also widely seen as being used to sportswash the country’s abhorrent human rights record.
In response to the league’s disruption of the game, the PGA Tour has suspended players who have signed up for the rival circuit, while the DP World Tour (formerly the European Tour) is fining players 100,000 pounds ($120,000) for each LIV tournament they play.
The R&A is allowing players from LIV Golf to compete in the British Open, with the USGA having done the same for last month’s U.S. Open because they are open to anyone who qualifies.
Earlier this year, Norman had sought a special exemption to play in the British Open, which is marking its 150th anniversary. The tournament allows exemptions for past champions aged 60 or under, or for those who have won the Open in the last 10 years. Norman was denied his request and did not try to qualify.
