Greg Norman Jr, son of the LIV Golf commissioner, said his father was forced to buy a second-hand Masters ticket after he was denied an invite as well as the ability to buy a ticket for himself.
Norman has been a controversial figure since LIV Golf was established and was not invited to the 2023 edition, with Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley suggesting he didn't want the Australian to be a distraction to the tournament.
However, the 69-year-old made a surprise appearance on Wednesday, with his son explaining that his dad was there as a paying customer to support the 13 LIV players competing.
"My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron," he said in a post on social media.
"He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players."
However, Norman Jr went on to claim that while his dad was snubbed an invite for a second successive year, he also found himself unable to buy a first-hand ticket through the Masters' official ticketing channels.
"Without a doubt, an invitation was not extended to my dad, and in fact, when he tried to buy one directly from them, he was denied," Norman Jr wrote in a reply to a comment. "Hence, he had to buy on the secondary market."
Norman spoke briefly to reporters on-site at Augusta and said that those in attendance had been unanimously positive to him about LIV. On social media, his son reaffirmed that message and hit back at the "trolls" who continue to oppose the Saudi-backed circuit.
Yes. All this is true.My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players.It was an amazing experience;… pic.twitter.com/Yt5Uk9r7nGApril 11, 2024
"It was an amazing experience; hundreds of golf fans approached him walking outside the ropes," he said.
"All positive support of him and LIV. Not one person said anything negative to him. And this is exactly the point of me posting this: we have received a lot of hate over the years, but this stems from financially incentivized opposing parties or bottom-of-the-barrel sociopathic online trolls.
"The vast majority of folks we run into are positive, encouraging, fans of LIV, or simply fans of golf. So, in light of this, here's to an epic Masters. Four days where we put all the BS behind us, sit back, and watch a LIV player take the green jacket."
After heavy rainfall on Thursday morning at Augusta, the tournament's first round was delayed by two-and-a-half hours. The first pairing - Erik van Rooyen and Jake Knapp will now get underway at 10.30am (2.30pm BST).
