Greg Norman has taken aim at Jack Nicklaus by branding the golf legend a 'hypocrite' over his stance on the new Saudi-backed golf tour.
In a week which threatens to change the face of world golf, the LIV Golf CEO will oversee the first rebel event at The Centurion Club in St Albans, which gets underway on Thursday. And in a seismic blow to the PGA Tour, Phil Mickleson has confirmed he will be in the field having signed a contract.
He'll be joined by other big names like Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Martin Kaymer, although Norman has admitted to failing in an audacious bid to secure the presence of Tiger Woods. The 15-time major champion was reportedly offered nearly $1 billion to join up.
Regardless, the 54-hole tournament - which carries a prize of £3.2 million for the winner - boasts more star power than many envisaged. And 'The Great White Shark' has been on the attack this week.
He has now he's taken aim at Nicklaus, after the 82-year-old stated his "unwavering support" for the status quo. The 18-time major winner also claimed he'd turned down two opportunities to be face of the rebel tour, a role ultimately now being filled by Norman.
“100% truth? Jack’s a hypocrite,” Norman told the Washington Post . “When he came out with those comments, I’m thinking: Jack must have a short memory.”
The Australian alleged that Nicklaus, 82, had initially been privately in favour of the venture: "Quote-unquote, he said: ‘This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me,’ ” Norman said. “So, you want the facts? You’ve got the facts. Know what you said before you open your mouth.”
Total prize money for the eight confirmed LIV Golf events - five of which are scheduled to be held in the United States - will be over £200million and the seven regular-season tournaments will have total purses of £20m.
The season-ending team match-play championship is scheduled for October 27-30 at Trump National Doral in Miami, which will provide another £40m in prize money.
