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- Greg Norman has a message for PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and everyone doubting the Saudi Golf League.
- Norman sent a harshly worded letter to the commissioner as rumors continue to swirl.
- Be sure to check out more golf stories at BroBible here.
Given the fact that a majority of the top players in the world have pledged their loyalty to the PGA Tour, the walls seem to be crumbling around Greg Norman and the Saudi Golf League. That doesn’t mean the two-time major winner is going to go away quietly, however.
Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf Investments and the commissioner of the Saudi-backed golf league, sent a rather scathing letter to PGA tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Thursday.
Monahan has made it crystal clear that any Tour player that jumps ship for the Saudi league will be banned from the PGA Tour. Norman contends in his letter that players can’t be banned from playing golf, in fact, he proposes Tour players “were and still are interested in playing” for both the Tour and Saudi league.
Greg Norman Pens Dramatic Letter To PGA Tour Commissioner
“Surely you jest,” Norman dramatically began his letter. “And surely, your lawyers at the PGA Tour must be holding their breath. 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.”
Norman went on to call Monahan a bully while accusing him of being unlawful.
“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?”
Norman ended his letter by writing “Commissioner – this is just the beginning. It certainly is not the end.”
The golf world had quite the reaction to Norman’s letter:
After this letter, it seems clearer than ever that this thing is destined to end up in court.
Someone's going to commit to the league, they're going to be banned, and they're going to sue. And it's going to be one big, hot mess. https://t.co/GJu0HwAwIO
— Dan Rapaport (@Daniel_Rapaport) February 24, 2022
Somehow, this letter doesn’t end with a challenge to a duel?? https://t.co/er0U3QskSR
— Zach Johnston (@zjohn45) February 24, 2022
What in the world is Greg thinking. Yikes https://t.co/NDey8uElJA
— Jeremy Schilling (@jschil) February 24, 2022
ngl i didn’t read beyond the first line but “surely you jest” is an incredible start imo https://t.co/w4mTATf2xX
— katie dzwierzynski (@kdzwierzynski) February 24, 2022
“Yet for decades, the Tour has put its own financial ambitions ahead of the players, and every player on the tour knows it”
Similar sentiment to what we heard from Phil. Who do they think “the tour” is if not the players? https://t.co/cb3239wh4a
— Fried Egg Golf (@fried_egg_golf) February 24, 2022
Content gods honestly making this a bit too easy https://t.co/Hroy4r5FOM
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) February 24, 2022