Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images
Greg Norman showed up Wednesday at Augusta National in an unexpected capacity, and now we know why.
Greg Norman, the LIV Golf CEO, has been at odds with the PGA Tour for years. That prompted the Tour to withhold Norman’s invitation to the 2023 Masters.
That did not stop ‘The Shark’ from finding his way onto the grounds this week at Augusta National though.
He was seen Wednesday walking the course during practice rounds. We previously reported that Norman got through the gates in an unexpected manner, as a patron.
Thursday, Greg Norman Jr. took to social media to confirm what many suspected.
Yes. All this is true.
My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players.
It was an amazing experience;… pic.twitter.com/Yt5Uk9r7nG
— Greg Norman Jr (@GregJrNorman) April 11, 2024
“Yes. All this is true.”
“My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players,” Norman Jr. wrote on X.
Many know of the tension between Norman and the PGA Tour due to the current state of professional golf. But the beef goes far beyond that, and as far back as the late 1980’s.
Norman took offense to being asked not to play in South Africa during the Apartheid in 1987. He went so far as to say ““They want me to pledge that I won’t play golf in South Africa. Well, they can go to hell. I’m a professional golfer and I’ll play wherever I choose.”
The friction between the two sides has simmered for decades. But with Norman’s move to LIV Golf and being such a vocal proponent of it, has provided the necessary fodder for the Tour to hold him at bay.
Well, unless of course he buys a ticket on the secondary market as he did yet again Thursday.
He was spotted following Rory McIlroy’s group on the course by Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig.
All the while, his son ended his post seeming to put golf first, only to add one last jab.
“Here’s to an epic Masters. Four days where we put all the BS behind us, sit back, and watch a LIV player take the green jacket.”
Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor of SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social media platforms.
