Greg Norman shows true colours on The Open return after champions’ dinner snub

Over the weekend, Greg Norman, a key figure in the controversial LIV Golf, demonstrated his admiration for The Open, despite not being invited to the champions’ dinner at the 150th Open at St Andrews. The 69-year-old golfer, known for his involvement with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, has faced criticism within the golfing community and has had previous conflicts with the PGA Tour. However, Norman was welcomed at Royal Troon, donning an official R&A guest badge and speaking positively about The Open.

In an interview with Golf Digest, Norman expressed his deep appreciation for The Open, stating, “The Open has a lot of history for me. To me, it was the best championship of all. The Masters is the Masters, but I put this one up above all four of them because it is a true open. People can come and play [qualify]. I love the way they rotate the host course and its links golf. In my professional career, I prided myself on coming back and playing the Open Championship.”

Reflecting on his absence from Troon over the past two years, Norman acknowledged that it was the best decision for everyone involved, given the situation’s sensitivity. He commented, “I think that was the right thing for golf, yeah. I think in the beginning there was a lot of misinterpretation of the situation. I love seeing the way things have settled down now. Everybody’s seen that within the ecosystem, LIV Golf has been accepted and the players deserve to be in these big championships.”

Although not participating in the event, Norman closely followed The Open, noting the challenging weather conditions players faced in Scotland. He remarked, “Troon is a tough golf course. Yesterday, the wind for the first couple of holes, around 1pm or 2pm, was blowing really solid. And then when you make the turn, you’ve got all that wind pushing the ball towards the railway line around Nos. 10 and 11. Those holes become even more difficult because you never play the golf course truly straight into the wind or straight downwind. It’s always testing your ball flight and how you spin the golf ball. It’s a quirky golf course and you have to put it in the right place.”