Greg Norman has become one of the most divisive figures in the game of golf having helped LIV Golf turn the landscape upside down.
There is no question that Greg Norman was incredibly charismatic on and off the course at the peak of his powers. The Shark spent more than 330 weeks at the top of the world rankings.
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
Meanwhile, he won The Open Championship twice. And he finished second in each of the other three majors on at least two occasions. Norman actually led after 54 holes in all four majors in 1986, before only winning the Claret Jug.
But in later life, the 70-year-old has become known for being golf’s great disruptor.
The two comments Greg Norman admitted he regretted making
Norman pitched the idea of a global tour to players in 1994. It was Arnold Palmer walking out of the meeting which killed that possibility before it could gain any momentum.
But of course, Norman was not to be deterred. Obviously, LIV Golf had huge financial resources. But it clearly made a big difference having Norman as the face of the venture.
So he has certainly made plenty of controversial comments across his career. Interestingly, in a Golf Digest interview in 2007, Norman suggested that there were just two statements he wishes he had not made.
“Just like I think a halftime, or a timeout, might be nice in golf, I probably shouldn’t have talked about the ‘$40 million I can fall back on’ after the Masters defeat [1996]. People who knew me knew how to take it, but most people don’t know me,” he said.
“Then there was a remark I made, way back, about some of the British players and their motivation. [“So many talented golfers on the British tour have not got the drive, have not got the guts or that inner power that is needed to go on and win when victory is in sight,” Norman wrote in his 1983 autobiography, My Story, excluding Faldo and Sandy Lyle from the criticism.] I regret saying that.”
How Greg Norman reflected on so many near misses during his career
Norman will be a hero to so many, particularly in his home country of Australia. He would have inspired plenty to take up the game.
But there is a sadness there. Norman could have so easily cemented himself as one of the most successful golfers in history.
He lost four majors in a playoff. Meanwhile, the 1996 Masters is widely considered to be one of the largest collapses in the game’s history. Sir Nick Faldo came from six shots back heading into the final round.
Norman would concede in that same interview that not winning at Augusta National was particularly disappointing.
“People say I’m very resilient, and I am. If I’d have won all those tournaments that I could’ve won or should’ve won — Bob Tway beating me from the bunker, Larry Mize chipping in, Nick Faldo coming from behind at the Masters — the only thing that would have changed is my trophy case,” he said.
“Would I have liked to win all those tournaments? Of course, because I’m a competitor. Nothing would have satisfied me more in golf than winning the Masters.”
It is hard to know what his legacy will be. Like Phil Mickelson, his huge popularity must have taken a massive hit over his connection with LIV Golf.
And it is fair to say that some of his comments along the way hardly endeared him to those who lost a lot of respect.
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