Greg Norman has been embroiled in numerous controversies throughout his time in the professional game.
Norman was extremely bullish with his plans to start a breakaway Tour in 1994, but his fellow PGA Tour players didn’t offer him the support that he expected.
Then, 28 years later, the Australian finally got what he wanted after playing a key role in the inception of LIV Golf.
Norman has been a staunch defender of LIV Golf, even after he left his role with the Saudi-backed league earlier this year.
How will history reflect on Greg Norman?
Has golf's great disruptor been vindicated?
“For him to try and trivialise what the greats before him did to grow and create what the PGA Tour is today is an absolute disgrace. You should hang your head in shame, Shark.”
Wayne Grady
“Let me just sum this up with a couple of words. First of all, Greg Norman is an icon in the game of golf. He’s a great player. We’ve been friends for a long time, and regardless of what happens, he’s going to remain a friend. Unfortunately, he and I just don’t see eye to eye in what’s going on [with LIV]. I’ll basically leave it at that.”
Jack Nicklaus
“Greg needs to go; he needs to exit stage left. He’s made his mark but I think now is the right time to say you’ve got this thing off the ground but no one’s going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.”
Rory McIlroy
It’s not surprising that Norman was the man chosen to spearhead the LIV Golf revolution.
He has always been an uncompromising character and is never shy of sharing his bullish opinions.
And during the US Open back in 1986, the Australian took things to another level entirely.
Greg Norman admitted he ‘broke the code of golf’ at the US Open
Norman was still searching for his first major championship 29 years ago.
As we all know, he finally got over the line at The Open Championship in 1986 at Turnberry.
However, just one month prior during the US Open at Shinnecock Hills, the 20-time PGA Tour winner was involved in a really unsavory spat with a heckler.
Norman led by three strokes after 36 holes and that lead was cut to one after three rounds.
However, a final round 75 from Norman at Shinnecock Hills saw him fall outside of the top-10.
Norman openly admitted that he got involved with a heckler during the third round of the 1986 US Open when he really should have taken the high road, as quoted by Golf.com.
“It was interesting with the crowd reaction,” Norman said.
“Just saying ‘Go home you effin Aussie’, ‘You can’t play golf’, ‘You’re a choker.’ It was very hard because they get you in between walking from the green to the tee when you’ve got six feet of space and they’re yelling in your ear.
“It was hard to focus on it and then I kinda lost my cool.“
Did Norman’s altercation with the heckler during his third round 71 affect his ability to break par? Quite possibly.
Greg Norman took matters into his own hands at the 1986 US Open
Norman openly admitted that he broke a cardinal rule whilst being heckled at Shinnecock.
Is this the end of LIV Golf?
“On one of the holes on Sunday, I should’ve never done it,“ he explained.
“I went up into the gallery and I just knew who it was. There was this sea of faces and I just swung to the right, walked right up to this guy, and I said ‘Look, if you want to say something to me, say it to me in the car park at the end of the round when I can do something about it.’
“I broke the sporting code of golf. I should’ve never done it. I had just had enough.
“But it was just an education for me to tune yourself out or block things out a little bit better.“
Finally, Norman was asked whether the heckler actually met him in the parking lot after his round.
“Hell no,” the Australian exclaimed!
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