Greg Norman gave a surprising response when questioned about how he would react to Rory McIlroy completing the career grand slam.
Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy’s war of words has been rumbling on for almost two years now, but the LIV Golf boss recently revealed a surprising side to his relationship with the current world number two.
Ever since LIV was established, McIlroy and Norman have consistently criticized each other without holding back.
Despite putting in his best efforts, McIlroy and Norman’s relationship took a turn for the worse when they exchanged messages about Norman’s well-known collapse at the Masters.
After watching a documentary detailing Norman’s shortcomings at the 1996 competition, McIlroy contacted the Australian golfer.
“In spite of thinking that the two had resolved their issues during the interaction, it only took a few weeks for the conflict to start again.”
Norman, you might recall, accused McIlroy of being “brainwashed by the PGA Tour.”
That prompted McIlroy to say: “I’m going to make it my business now to be as much of a pain in his arse as possible.”
Since McIlroy made those comments in 2022, he’s done just that, taking up the role of LIV’s biggest critic.
In recent months, however, McIlroy’s stance on LIV appears to have softened following his decision to step down from the PGA Tour’s policy board.
With a potential merger between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour looking more and more likely, McIlroy has been outspoken about his belief that LIV players should face no punishment if they are to return to the PGA Tour.
Speaking to Golf Digest Australia, Norman was questioned about McIlroy and his opportunity to win the career grand slam at The Masters in April. Norman delivered a very measured response that perhaps highlights a light at the end of the tunnel for the pair’s relationship.
He said:
“One thing I do is I take emotion out of everything. I’m very good at that. I don’t bring emotion into business. I don’t bring emotion into anything. If you do, I think that shows the weakness of an individual.
“When Rory missed out on the (2011) Masters when he hit that wayward tee shot on 10, I sent him a message of support afterwards because I felt his pain, and he responded.
“And if Rory wins this year’s Masters, I’ll say congratulations on achieving the grand slam, right? That’s sport and that’s sportsmanship, and that’s the humility of the game. That’s me. That’s how I would do it.”
The mutual respect between the pair has not diminished over time, as sportsmanship remains a top priority for Norman.
In his interview, Norman mentioned that he tried to recruit Hideki Matsuyama during LIV’s break but was unsuccessful.
Despite this, he congratulated Matsuyama on his recent win at the Genesis Invitational.
Norman was asked about the possibility of Anthony Kim making a comeback in professional golf. In response, he said, “Keep an eye out for updates.”
Kim has been officially confirmed as a wildcard for LIV Jeddah and will be playing in Saudi Arabia for the first time in 12 years this weekend.