Australian Entrepreneur Greg Norman has given an ocean full of new opportunities to golfers around the world. The figurehead of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf Invitational Series is responsible to give access to the highest-paying golf tournament ever. However, the LIV Series also took a toll on former PGA Tour players after they joined Norman’s LIV league. Despite all the importance the man holds, Norman is surprisingly not going to be a part of the R&A’s “Celebration of Champions”.

But why did R&A do this with Norman? And what is Norman’s response to R&A’s shocking move? Keep reading to find out.

R&A makes a statement about why Norman isn’t invited

“In response to inquiries regarding The R&A Celebration of Champions field and the Champions’ Dinner, we can confirm that we contacted Greg Norman to advise him that we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion,” said R&A about the Greg Norman situation on Saturday in a statement.

Read More: Greg Norman Posts a Picture With the Oldest Living D-Day Hero Who’s 100+ Years Old

The reason given by R&A was that they wanted the focus of the event to stay around the celebration. But looking at the never ending LIV controversy, it seemed impossible for the attention to not fall on Greg Norman. R&A also stated that they want Norman to attend their future events as soon as the situation allows.

Greg Norman responds to R&D

Norman didn’t wait long after he got the letter from R&D regarding the invite to the event. He said, “I’m disappointed. It’s petty, as all I have done is prompt and grow the game for golf globally, on and off the golf course, for more than four decades.”.

However, Norman should not have been surprised or disappointed, because earlier this year when he requested to be a part of the 150th Open, the R&A immediately turned him down. Norman is 67 years old as of now, and R&A pointed out that only players who are 60 or under can participate in the event, given that they have previously won the championship in the last decade.

Greg Norman has made his way into golf again after getting PGA’s talent to play in the LIV League. He has proven to be a great entrepreneur. However, like most of his players, he also is paying a price for it.

Watch This Story: Greg Normans Message to Phil Mickelson Is Going Viral