Greg Norman has issued his reaction to the fresh comments Rory McIlroy has made about LIV, in which the Northern Irishman opened up on some mistakes he has made in what he has said about the breakaway tour.
Rory McIlroy has been one of LIV Golf’s most outspoken critics over the last few years. But with the PGA Tour and PIF holding talks over the future of the game, and Jon Rahm becoming the latest high-profile name to switch, it is clear that LIV is going nowhere anytime soon.
And McIlroy appears to be ready to accept that fact. Speaking on Stick to Football this week, the 34-year-old suggested that LIV could be seen like the IPL is in cricket.
Greg Norman responds after Rory McIlroy speaks again on LIV
He also noted that he had previously probably been hasty in his criticism of those who made the jump over the last couple of years.
And speaking on Fairway to Heaven, LIV CEO Greg Norman suggested that he has a lot of respect for what the four-time major champion has now said.
“I’ve got to be honest with you – I’m very appreciative of what Rory said. It’s been a painful couple of years. What we have done is been consistent. Our narrative has been consistent. Our delivering mechanism has been consistent,” he said.
“The reason I say I appreciate Rory to fall on his sword to some degree is the fact that he did judge us by not knowing the facts. He judged us on other people’s thoughts and opinions.
“We wanted to sit down from day one with them to completely make them understand the value of the LIV footprint, business model and the impact it can make on the game of golf.
“I say ‘hey thank you Rory’. We all knew it was going to work within the golf ecosystem. We all want to be there, we are going to be there – he said that. To me, this is a significant turning point for everybody.”
So much uncertainty remains
Ultimately, it does feel as though the game is going to unite again at some stage in the future – one way or another.
Players who previously ruled moving to LIV have since gone. And given the financial strength of those backing the tour, Rahm is unlikely to be the last to move if things remain as they are.
McIlroy is probably aware that some kind of agreement is going to be needed if the PGA Tour is going to remain at the top.
But clearly, there is a lot of change to come before everything settles down. And there remains huge question marks over how the game will look.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
