McIlroy says Norman rift began with his 'brainwash' comment
Rory McIlroy thought his differences with Greg Norman over a Saudi-funded rival golf league had been patched up. McIlroy has been taking shots at Norman since he won the Canadian Open in June, a day after LIV Golf finished its inaugural event outside London.
news.yahoo.comColumn: LIV Golf shouldn't wait much longer on world ranking
The PGA Tour had 12 of the top 50 players in the world ranking competing last week in Las Vegas. LIV Golf also had 12 of the top 50 in the world playing in Bangkok. The difference, aside from LIV Golf providing triple the prize money, is that only one of those circuits received credit from the Official World Golf Ranking.
news.yahoo.comAdam Scott says LIV Golf not 'pure evil' for the game
Adam Scott says Greg Norman's association with LIV Golf hasn't strained his relationship with his long-time mentor and adds he doesn’t see the new tour as “pure evil” for the sport. “Definitely not,” Scott said in a conference call from his home in Switzerland when asked if he feels any animosity towards his fellow Australian, who is chief executive of the series. Scott says his friendships with fellow Australian stars Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman also haven’t changed since their defection to LIV, which has been criticized as a means by Saudi Arabia to sportswash its image.
news.yahoo.comColumn: Mickelson wins part of the battle, loses the war
Much like his style of golf, Phil Mickelson's imagination is only as good as his ability to pull off the shot. Mickelson has a right to feel somewhat vindicated by the bold and rapid changes coming to the PGA Tour. The idea — his idea, he can argue — is for the top players to compete against each other as often as 17 times, maybe more, for an average purse of $20 million.
news.yahoo.comReport: LIV draft contract has restrictions and major bonus
A draft contract to play for Saudi-funded LIV Golf includes clauses that require players be available to recruit other players to the league and to get permission before granting exclusive interviews, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The Journal said it reviewed a draft contract that LIV Golf has offered players, noting it was unclear if terms in the draft are in all contracts or can be negotiated. Among other provisions in the draft contract was approval for most of the logos they wear and branded products they use at events.
news.yahoo.comNorman says Tiger Woods turned down $700-800M Saudi offer
Tiger Woods turned down an offer that Greg Norman says was "somewhere in that neighborhood” of $700 million to $800 million to take part in the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series. During an appearance on Fox News with Tucker Carlson that aired Monday night, Norman confirmed what he told the Washington Post in a story two months ago. Woods has been opposed to LIV Golf since late last year, and he delivered his strongest comments at the British Open when he said players who took the money funded by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund had “turned their back” on the PGA Tour that made them famous.
news.yahoo.comTwo-time Open champion Norman unwanted guest at St. Andrews
Now he doesn't even get to attend the dinner at St. Andrews for past champions. The R&A said Saturday it contacted Norman to tell him “we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion.” “The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the championship and its heritage,” the R&A said.
news.yahoo.comBranden Grace wins LIV Golf's first US tournament
Grace closed with a 7-under 65 on Saturday to finish at 13 under in the 54-hole tournament at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. The fledgling LIV series, fronted by CEO Greg Norman and funded by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, aims to challenge the PGA Tour.
news.yahoo.comColumn: Blunt talk means saying LIV Golf is all about money
Brooks Koepka likes to boast about his honesty. Koepka once accused Patrick Reed of cheating by “building sand castles” in a waste area in the Bahamas. “I’m always going to speak my mind and tell you what I think, and I think everybody in this room knows that,” he said at a PGA Championship preview day in 2020.
news.yahoo.comPGA chief slams Saudi-funded league as series of exhibitions
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan described the Saudi-funded league that has signed up Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau as a “series of exhibition matches” that spends billions of dollars on players without getting a return on its investment. Monahan also said players paid an exorbitant amount of money would “have to be living under a rock” to not know they would be criticized for the source of the money. LIV Golf is backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.
news.yahoo.comNorman criticized Down Under for LIV golf move and comments
When Adam Scott won the Masters in 2013, the person he thanked most profusely was a larger-than-life character synonymous with golf in Australia. “There was one guy who inspired a nation of golfers and that’s Greg Norman,” Scott said shortly after beating Angel Cabrera in a playoff at Augusta. Golfers in Australia now are having difficulty maintaining that thought.
news.yahoo.comMonahan: Players tempted by Saudi tour need to make up minds
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan says he has “zero complacency” when it comes to the threat of a Saudi-funded rival league, and he has a clear message for any player still tempted to leave. “I told the players we're moving on and anyone on the fence needs to make a decision,” Monahan said Wednesday in a telephone interview. Monahan said the tour had “incredible momentum” coming off its West Coast swing.
news.yahoo.comDustin Johnson says he's sticking with the PGA Tour
A proposed Saudi-financed rival golf league took a big hit Sunday morning when Dustin Johnson said he was “fully committed” to stay with the PGA Tour. Johnson added his name to a growing list of golf's top players who have said they are not interested in taking guaranteed riches from the “Super Golf League” that Greg Norman and his LIV Golf Investments are trying to create.
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