Getty Image
LIV Golf wasn’t exactly welcomed with open arms when it began to poach players from the PGA Tour in its quest to take on its de facto rival in 2022, and it’s been no stranger to controversy over the course of its fairly strange existence.
The fact that LIV is funded by Saudi Arabian backers with a virtually unlimited amount of money to throw at the venture means it’s hard to dismiss it entirely, but its fairly paltry viewing numbers and an inability to consistently produce notable headlines outside of the boatload of inter-tour drama we’ve been treated to means it’s also a bit hard to take it too seriously.
Plenty of notable names in the world of golf have taken a stand against LIV and CEO Greg Norman, a man who can take solace in knowing the organization could fold overnight and it would still only be the second-greatest failure of his career.
No one has pushed back against Norman as frequently or as vocally as Rory McIlroy, who has essentially served as the unofficial spokesperson for anti-LIV players on the PGA Tour.
However, the Northern Irishman has hinted he’s getting a bit tired of the feud he’s acknowledged has distracted him from focusing on his game and undoubtedly played a role in his decision to forfeit $3 million after declining to participate in the RBC Heritage following a disappointing showing at The Masters where he failed to make the cut.
Norman has certainly taken note of that development, as he took a bit of a victory lap while discussing the current state of affairs during a recent interview with the BBC, saying:
“He is starting to see that this is not an exhibition match or a clinic like he said in the past. This is real.
These guys are competitors. They want to win and Rory’s no different so I’m glad Rory’s starting to maybe see the light a little bit. I’m glad Rory’s recognized that LIV has truly identified how antiquated the PGA Tour was.
I’m glad Rory’s recognizing that LIV has been a leader in trying to get the PGA Tour to follow us. Why have we done that? Because of the players.”
Norman was alluding to the “elevated events” the PGA Tour seemingly introduced to respond to the rise of LIV, so while he may appear to be content with how things have panned out so far, it’ll be very interesting to see who ends up getting the last laugh.