The LIV Golf series boss Greg Norman has blasted recent changes to the PGA Tour for copying his concept stating that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery", as the war between the rival circuits continues.
In August PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan confirmed that the circuit's top players have committed to play at least 20 events across the season, with an additional four 'elevated events' added to the 2023 calendar with an average of a '$20 million purse' at each.
Norman says this move is imitating the Saudi-backed series which continues with the LIV Golf Invitational Chicago event this weekend.
In an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal, Norman wrote: "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but it is also what you get when a serious challenger suddenly confronts a 54-year-old entrenched monopoly.
"On August 24, the PGA Tour responded to LIV Golf by boosting its purses, setting a pay floor, and structuring events so that fans get to see the tour’s best players—all among the innovations we introduced when we launched LIV in June.
"It is a classic case of competition benefiting workers and customers. LIV Golf is the best thing that has ever happened to the careers of professional golfers. The PGA Tour never would have changed without it."
According to Golf Digest , it has been reported that PGA commissioner Monahan has informed players that the circuit will introduce a no cut eight-event series throughout the 2023 campaign.
Each of the eight tournaments will reportedly have a purse of £16 million, with the top 50 players from the FedEx Cup standings from the previous campaign taking part.
Norman believes that all these changes are in response to the likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeCahmbeau and the soon to be announced Brooks Koepka turning their back on the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf events are not currently accredited with the Official World Golf Ranking system with players forced to play in the DP World Tour event at Wentworth earlier this month to obtain points to qualify for next year's major tournaments
"These rankings heavily influence how much sponsors pay players," added Norman.
"The ranking system must be independent if it is to be credible. With a board dominated by the PGA Tour, the Official World Golf Ranking currently excludes LIV Golf events. That needs to change. If it doesn’t, fans and sponsors won't know who is the best in the sport."
