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Golf is a pastime steeped in centuries of history and tradition and one that’s been historically governed by a fairly stuffy establishment with a reputation for being a bit too obsessed with preserving a number of fairly antiquated views and customs.
Of course, plenty of members of that establishment would also lead you to believe they’re intent on doing everything they can to “grow the game.” However, that’s not necessarily reflected in a reality where the quest to attract new players and fans has been hampered by a widespread and stubborn reluctance to change with the times.
With that said, the PGA Tour was forced to scramble to do exactly that earlier this year when it found itself hemorrhaging a number of high-profile pros who opted to take their talents to LIV Golf, the upstart league that’s injected the sport with virtually unprecedented levels of pettiness and drama.
In hindsight, we probably should’ve seen this coming when the Saudi-backed organization tapped Greg Norman as its CEO and granted the man who tried (and failed) to take on the PGA Tour in the mid-1990s the opportunity to get some revenge in a grudge match more than 25 years in the making.
Norman has subsequently made even more enemies on the Tour than he already had—a group that includes Rory McIlroy, who was one of the first golfers to question the need for another league after rumors about the project began to swirl last year. Since then, he’s served as one of the most vocal critics of LIV Golf while working alongside Tiger Woods to strengthen the PGA Tour, but he’s also hinted he may be open to some sort of truce for the good of the sport as a whole.
It’s unclear what that agreement would look like, but based on what McIlroy had to say while speaking with reporters ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, it’s safe to assume one of his terms would involve the removal of Norman as LIV Golf’s CEO.
According to Sports Illustrated, McIlroy didn’t mince words while implying Norman is refusing to take a diplomatic approach to any peace talks, saying:
“Greg needs to go; he needs to exit stage left. He’s made his mark but I think now is the right time to say you’ve got this thing off the ground but no one’s going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.”
Damn, Rory. Tell us how you really feel.