Greg Norman once named American course which has hosted eight majors as the most overrated in the world

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Greg Norman is unquestionably one of the most controversial figures in the professional game.

It was Norman who played the leading role in the inception of LIV Golf back in 2022, but he ruffled plenty of feathers around the PGA Tour long before then.

Norman has been at loggerheads with the PGA Tour for quite some time now.

Back in 1994, the now 70-year-old actually attempted to form a breakaway tour, but did not receive the backing from his fellow players that he expected.

28 years later, Norman’s role in the formation of LIV upset many current and former PGA Tour pros, unsurprisingly so.

However, something he said long before LIV’s inception in 2016 perhaps created more controversy than anything else he’s been involved in!

The most underrated American golf course according to Greg Norman

The outspoken Aussie has been lucky enough to play the very best golf courses in the world throughout his illustrious career.

Taking that into account, it was really interesting to hear what he had to say about one of the most prestigious courses on the planet.

Norman was asked by Golf Digest Australia which course he believes is the most overrated in the world, and the two-time major champion certainly raised some eyebrows with his response.

“I’m going to get lambasted for this,” Norman exclaimed.

“I think Pebble Beach is a little overrated. I think Pebble Beach has 13 magnificent holes – and five very average holes.

“When you look at comparisons of Pebble Beach to, say, New South Wales Golf Club, I think you have to take away the scenic beauty (from each) and focus on playability; how the golf course flows.

“NSW has no houses on it, Pebble Beach is surrounded by houses.“

Pebble Beach was ranked as the 15th best golf course on the planet by Golf.com, with the world-famous layout on the Monterey Peninsula offering truly extraordinary vistas, especially during the seven-hole stretch from the fourth to the 10th.

The 6,972-yard layout has hosted eight professional major championships – six men’s US Opens, one PGA Championship and one US Women’s Open.

Greg Norman says ‘underrated’ course is even better than Cypress Point

While Norman believes Pebble Beach is overrated, the Australian singled out one golf course in the same area which he believes is incredibly underrated.

He said: “I think one of the most underrated courses out on the Monterey Peninsula (site of Pebble Beach) is Spyglass Hill. It’s a better golf course than Cypress Point – at least from a player’s perspective.”

That is quite the claim from Norman.

As good as Spyglass Hill undoubtedly is, Cypress Point is renowned for being one of the best golfing properties in the world, if not the best.

It is consistently ranked as one of the top two golf courses on the planet, and often alternates with Pine Valley in New Jersey.

Norman is never shy of making controversial statements, and his comments on Pebble Beach, and indeed Spyglass Hill and Cypress Point, back in 2016 definitely came as a surprise to hear.