The feud between Tiger Woods and Greg Norman started even before the 15x major champion had turned pro. Over the years, it intensified, reaching a peak when the Australian golfer switched to LIV Golf in 2022. But despite that, Norman took the high road and conveyed a good message for Woods in a conversation with Jimmy Roberts.

“Well, look at SSG and look what’s happened with TGL. I mean, I would say Apples to Apples, right? I would say the value of our global teams is a little bit different than the value of TGL. I’m so happy for TGL. I hope it’s a screaming success because it’s resonating to what the audience wants,” Greg Norman said in an episode of The Big Swing With Jimmy Roberts.

When Norman joined LIV, he faced criticism from fans and professional golfers alike. Many, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, had said that the 20x PGA Tour winner should resign from the position. Ahead of The Open 2022, Woods said that what the Australian did was “not in the best interest of our game,” and called for his removal as CEO. In fact, Greg Norman faced so much criticism that he admitted to sometimes holding himself back from lashing out.

But despite that, Greg Norman wishes success to Tiger Woods’ TGL. TGL, which is worth $500 million, was co-founded by the 82x PGA Tour winner and Rory McIlroy. It is a team-based league, as is LIV Golf. Greg Norman claims that these team events are what the audience wants now.

“I use this terminology a lot – virgin space, and the virgin space in golf was team golf. It worked with the Ryder Cup, and it worked with the President’s Cup. Why couldn’t it work with individual team? It’s just a matter of your proof of concept, and the execution on that has to be methodical, and it has to show growth,” Norman added.

The Australian golfer’s view of joining LIV Golf has always been to improve the game, not to try to oppose or destroy the PGA Tour. Earlier this year, when Norman featured in a Mark Bouris video, he said that there was a lack of balance. According to him, it was the institutions that created generational wealth, not the golfers. By joining LIV Golf, Norman gave golfers the opportunity to do so. The former LIV Golf CEO has always positioned the league as essential and disruptive to transform the game and engage with younger audiences.

Since TGL follows a similar team pattern, Greg Norman says that its success will continue the change the Saudi-backed league brought. According to him, the game needs to change with consumer interests. In fact, he tried to bring some change even before LIV Golf, way back in the 1990s.

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Greg Norman’s World Golf Tour attempt

In the 1990s, Norman proposed the WGT to challenge PGA Tour dominance. However, he drew rejections from players like Nick Faldo and Arnold Palmer, who slammed it at a players’ meeting. Media backlash was harsh, with a 1994 Washington Post editorial calling it “crass and alien to golf” and Norman a “shark at heart.”

His aim was to globalize golf with eight high-prize-money events and TV revenue sharing via Fox. He even made a deal with Fox Sports. But fierce opposition to the idea led to its failure. Retired pro Nick O’Hern even accused the PGA Tour of stealing the very idea and starting its own Signature Events. These Signature Events feature high prize money and a limited field, something that Norman had already proposed.

Even after years of criticism and stalled attempts to reshape the sport, Greg Norman continues to frame his role as one of progress rather than conflict. His words on TGL and Tiger Woods suggest that, for him, the focus remains on where golf is headed.