Ever since its inception in 2021, LIV Golf has, at times, been at the receiving end of scrutiny. What’s more, Greg Norman, LIV Golf’s CEO, has, more often than not, been at the center of it all. But, interestingly, it appears the situation has changed a bit for the better as the Aussie was faced with much overwhelming support from the patrons at Augusta National, where the first major of 2024 will take place in a few hours.

A tweet was shared by NUCLR GOLF on their X handle, divulging the comments made by the ex-pro golfer ahead of the start of the 2024 Masters. Meanwhile, Norman mentioned how “hundreds of people” went ahead to stop him and commend him on starting the breakaway league. However, his coming out candid on his Augusta comeback experience did not go too well with many online enthusiasts.

Greg Norman reveals his Augusta National experience

“There’s been hundreds of people, even security guys, stopping me,” revealed the Aussie before mentioning how they came up to him and said, “Hey, what you’re doing is fantastic.” Adding on, he inferred how such a response from fans implied how much LIV Golf has come in the golf world after its inception: “To me, that tells you that what we have and the platform fits within the ecosystem, and it’s good for the game of golf.”

That’s not all. Greg Norman also made sure to express his support for the players from the Saudi-backed league who are taking part in the major at Augusta; “So I’m here just to support them, do the best I can to show them, ‘Hey, you know, the boss is here rooting for you.’” Moreover, the Australian shark also made sure to take a jab at the tournament for overlooking some golfers who deserved the same, as he said, “I’m not going to give it a definitive number, but they’re definitely quality players that have done incredible performances over the last six to nine months that are worthy of it.”

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Interestingly, it appears that this is the first time he has appeared at the Masters since 2021. Three years ago, he had attended the major as a radio analyst for Sirius XM, after which he became LIV Golf’s CEO the following summer.

However, during the next year, 2022, the then-68-year-old did not attend the prestigious event. “Funnily enough, I haven’t been invited,” Norman admitted in 2023, before adding how he was always invited owing to him being a major winner. “But they only sent me a grounds pass last year and nothing, zilch, this time around,” revealed the ex-pro as he expressed his disappointment. Anyhow, the online followers weren’t too lenient on the Aussie after reading the comments he made during his comeback.

Norman’s ‘class’ act sends the golf world into a fervor

There were a lot of comments which were made under the post. But one thing was common in most of them: a jab for the 2-time major champ. Interestingly, some responses included those scrutinizing him for lying and making up reactions from people who, as per the users, did not say anything close to such words exuding support. They responded with comments such as “That’s a lie”, “He is lying!!”, and “Wouldn’t believe a word out of that lad’s mouth.”

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A total of 13 LIV golfers are taking part in the major, which is set to kick off on Thursday. What’s more, these professionals boast a total of 10 Masters titles among them, with Phil Mickelson having 3, the most out of this group. Besides, even the defending champion of the event is a pro from the Middle Eastern circuit, Jon Rahm. However pointing that out did not get Greg Norman anywhere with the online followers, as many went ahead to mock him for issuing that statement despite being a guest with a paid ticket and not getting invited for the same. “How classy of him. He’s on the grounds of Augusta National as a guest and is telling the press how Augusta National should have invited more of “HIS” players. Greg STILL doesn’t get it!” But, interestingly, another enthusiast just pointed out how these professionals won as PGA Tour pros and not as LIV Golf Pros; “But how many won as LIV players? Seems a bit ironic that he touts they have “13 players that won 10 Masters,” but, as I recall, they were all PGAT players at the time. That may change, but I get his point – to a point.”

Most of the top athletes from the PGA Tour defected to the Greg Norman-led circuit after receiving a large amount of money as a signing bonus. Jon Rahm was rumored to have signed for a whopping $500 million while others including Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Mickelson, reportedly did so for $125 million, $100 million, and $200 million, respectively. Alluding to the dollar bills they received, some followers couldn’t help but prod the CEO and the golfers for doing so while claiming they did so for the future of the sport. One person commented, “THE Masters.. a tradition like no other…..LIV. No tradition …just greedy players!”  while another responded with,

It appears Greg Norman recounting his experience did not sit well with many. Regardless, what do you think about his recent comments? Did they warrant such a reaction from the community or do you feel otherwise? Let us know in the comments below.

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