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Report claims that Greg Norman is set to be dropped by Saudi-backed LIV Golf
Greg Norman has had a headline making year, with the Australian spearheading the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series and even attempting, and failing, to get a special exemption to compete in the 2022 Open Championship.
The two-time major winner has most recently received a barrage of criticism for comments where he seemingly attempted to play down the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi – who was was killed by Saudi agents in Istanbul in 2018.
Speaking at a LIV Golf press conference last week, Norman stated:
“From what I heard and what you guys reported just take ownership of what it is. Take ownership no matter what it is. Look, we’ve all made mistakes, and you just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.”
Those comments were slammed by many, including Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancée Hatice Cengiz, who branded the 67-year-old’s words as “so hurtful” in response.
Now, the Australian’s chaotic tenure as the frontman for LIV Golf may well be coming to an end, according to a report from the man who blew the whistle on Phil Mickelson’s bombshell Saudi comments that sent the 2021 PGA Champ into an ongoing exile.
Alan Shipnuck, whose unauthorised biography on Mickelson is released this week, has claimed that a Tour agent has told him that Norman’s days are numbered with the Saudi-backed group.
In a recent Q&A on The Fire Pit Collective, Shipnuck made the claim, while musing that the potential departure of Norman may well have factored into Mickelson’s decision to pass on defending his title this week at Southern Hills:
“A prominent Tour agent recently confided that he is hearing Norman is on the outs with the Saudis, which would be another wild development in this saga.
If a leadership change is imminent with LIV Golf, that would be all the more reason for Mickelson to pass on the PGA Championship and take more time to assess a chaotic situation.”
In a separate piece on The Fire Pit Collection, Michael Bamberger revealed that Jack Nicklaus had been targeted to undertake the role that Norman has been doing, but that the Golden Bear twice turned down the lucrative offer:
“I was offered something in excess of $100 million by the Saudis, to do the job probably similar to the one that Greg is doing,” Nicklaus said per the article. “I turned it down. Once verbally, once in writing. I said ‘Guys, I have to stay with the PGA Tour. I helped start the PGA Tour.'”
The opening event of the LIV Golf Invitational Series is scheduled to take place at Centurion, near London, next month. It remains to be seen if Norman will still be in charge by then.
I’m going to gush in this intro paragraph, to get the emo stuff done early. I’ve not pulled harder for a professional to win, than Cameron Young. I coach golf in New York state, and each spring, my best golfers head to a state championship in Poughkeepsie. I first saw Cameron there as a 9th grade student. I saw him three more times after that. I reconnecected with Coach Haas from Wake Forest, an old interview subject from my days on the Old Gold and Black, the Wake newspaper. He was there to watch Cameron. After four years at Wake Forest, Young won on the Korn Ferry Tour, made it to the big tour, almost won two majors, almost won five other events, and finally got the chalice about 25 minutes from the Wake campus. Congratulations, Cameron. You truly are a glass of the finest. #MotherSoDear
OK, let’s move on to the Tour Rundown. The major championship season closed this week in Wales, with the Women’s Open championship. The PGA Tour bounced through Greensboror, N.C., while the PGA Tour Americas hit TO (aka, Toronto) for a long-winded event. The Korn Ferry lads made a stop in Utah, one of just two events for that tour in August. The many-events, golf season is winding down, as we ease from summer toward fall in the northern hemisphere. Let’s bask in the glory of an August sunrise, and run down a quartet of events from the first weekend of the eighth month.
LET/LPGA @ Women’s Open: Miyu bends, but she doesn’t break
Royal Porthcawl was not a known commodity in the major tournament community. The Welsh links had served as host to men’s senior opens, men’s amateurs, and Curtis and Walker Cups in prior years, but never an Open championship for the women or the men. The last-kept secret in UK golf was revealed once again to the world this week, as the best female golfers took to the sandy stage.
Mao Saigo, Grace Kim, Maja Stark, and Minjee Lee hoped to add a second major title to previous wins this season, but only Lee was able to finish inside the top ten. The 2025 playing of the Women’s Open gave us a new-faces gallery from day one. The Kordas and Thitikulls were nowhere to be found, and it was the Mayashitas, Katsus, and Lim Kims that secured the Cymru spotlight. The first round lead was held at 67 by two golfers. One of them battled to the end, while the other posted 81 on day two, and missed the cut. Sitting one shot behind was Miyu Yamashita.
On day two, Yamashita posted the round of the tournament. Her 65 moved her to the front of the aisle, in just her fourth turn around a women’s Open championship. With the pre-event favorites drifting off pace, followers narrowed into two camps: those on the side of an underdog, and others hoping for a weekend charge from back in the pack. In the end, we had a bit of both.
On Saturday, Yamashita bent with 74 on Saturday, offering rays of hope to her pursuing pack. England’s Charley Hull made a run on Sunday closing within one shot before tailing off to a T2 finish with Minami Katsu. Katsu posted the other 65 of the week, on Saturday, but could not overtake her countrywoman, Yamashita. wunderkind Lottie Woad needed one round in the 60s to find her pace, but could only must close-to’s, ending on 284 and a tie with Minjee for eighth.
On Sunday, Yamashita put away the thoughts of Saturday’s struggles, with three-under 33 on the outward half. She closed in plus-one 37, but still won by two, for a first Major and LPGA title.
PGA Tour @ Wyndham: Young gathers first title near home
Cameron Young grew up along the Hudson river, above metro New York, but he also calls Winston-Salem home. He spent four years as a student and athlete at Wake Forest University, then embarked on tour. This week in Greensboro, after a bit of a break, Young opened with 63-62, and revved the engine of Is this the week once more. Runner-up finishes at the Open, the PGA, and a handful of PGA Tour events had followers wonder when the day would come.
On Saturday, Young continued his torrid pace with 65, giving him a five-shot advantage over his closest pursuer. Sunday saw the Scarborough native open with bogey, then reel off five consecutive birdies to remind folks that his time had, at last, arrived. Pars to the 16th, before two harmless bogeys coming home, made Young the 1000th winner of an official PGA Tour event (dating back to before there was a PGA Tour) throughout history. What’s next? I have a suspicion, but I’m not letting on. Mac Meissner closed with 66 to finish solo 2nd, while Mark Hubbard and Alex Noren tied for third.
Korn Ferry Tour @ Utah Championship: Are you Suri it’s Julian?
Who knows exactly when the flower will bloom? Julian Suri played a solid careet at Duke University, then paid his dues on the world’s minor tours for three years. He won twice on two tours in Europe, in 2017. Since then, the grind has continued for the journeyman from New York city. At age 34, Suri broke through in Beehive state, outlasting another grinder (Spencer Levin) and four others, by two shots.
Taylor Montgomery began the week with 62, then posted 64, then 68, and finally, 70. That final round was his undoing. He finished in that second-place tie, two back of the leader. Trace Crowe, Barend Botha, and Kensei Hirata made up the last of the almost quintet. As for Suri, his Sunday play was sublime. His nines were 32 and 31, with his only radar blip a bogey at ten. He closed in style with one final birdie, to double his winning margin. Hogan bloomed late…might Suri?
PGA Tour Americas @ Osprey Valley Open presented by Votorantim Cimentos – CBM Aggregates
Some tournament names run longer than others. This week in Toronto, at the Heathlands course at TPC Toronto, we might have seen the longest tournament title in recorded history. The OVOPBVCCBMA was a splendid affair. It saw three rounds of 62 on Thursday, but of those early risers, only Drew Goodman would stick around until the end. 64 was the low tally on day two, and two of those legionnaires managed to finish inside the top three at week’s end. Saturday brought a 63 from Patrick Newcomb, and he would follow with 64 on Sunday, to finish solo fourth.
Who, then, ended up winning the acronym of the year? It turns out that Carson Bacha had the right stuff in TeeOhhh. Bacha and Jay Card III posted 63 and 64, respectively, on day four, to tie for medalist honors at 23-under 261. Nathan Franks was one shot adrift, despite also closing with 63. If you didn’t go low on Sunday, it was about the check, not the championship.
Bacha and JC3 returned to the 18th hole twice in overtime. Card nearly chipped in from the thick stuff for birdie, while Bacha peeked and shoved a ten-feet attempt at the win. On the second go-round, Card was long with his approach, into the native grasses once more. He was unable to escape, and a routine par from the fairway was enough to earn the former Auburn golfers a first KFT title.
Card III and Bacha both miss their birdie tries on the first playoff hole.
We’ll play 18 again @OspreyOpen. pic.twitter.com/vNpHTdkHDg
— PGA TOUR Americas (@PGATOURAmericas) August 3, 2025
GolfWRX is live this week from the final event of the PGA Tour’s regular season, the Wyndham Championship.
Photos are flowing into the forums from Sedgefield Country Club, where we already have a GolfWRX spirit animal Adam Schenk WITB and plenty of putters for your viewing pleasure.
Check out links to all our photos below, which we’ll continue to update as more arrive.
General Albums
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #1
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #2
- 2025 Wyndham Championship – Tuesday #3
WITB Albums
- Chandler Phillips – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Davis Riley – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Scotty Kennon – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Austin Duncan – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Will Chandler – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kevin Roy – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ben Griffin – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Peter Malnati – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Ryan Gerard – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Adam Schenk – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Kurt Kitayama – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Camilo Villegas – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matti Schmid – WITB – 2025 Wyndham Championship
Pullout Albums
- Denny McCarthy’s custom Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Swag Golf putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Karl Vilips TM MG5 wedges – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- New Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Matt Fitzpatrick’s custom Bettinardi putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
- Cameron putters – 2025 Wyndham Championship
See what GolfWRXers are saying and join the discussion in the forums.
Kurt Kitayama just won his 2nd PGA Tour event at the 3M Open. Kurt is a Bridgestone staffer but with just the ball and bag. Here are the rest of the clubs he used to secure a win at the 2025 3M Open.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (11 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD VF 7 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees, A3 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 TX
7-wood: Titleist GT1 (21 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 9 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (52-12F, 56-14F), Vokey Design WedgeWorks (60-K*)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Newport 2 Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy 1.0PT
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B XS (with Mindset)
‘Why would anybody want to change that swing?’ – Brandel Chamblee says PGA Tour star was wrong to change his swing
‘The stupidest freaking thing I’ve ever heard’ – Billy Horschel slams Open idea suggested by Padraig Harrington
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Golfer proudly posts photo of ball mark on iron, receives immediate roasting
WITB Time Machine: Matthew Wolff’s winning WITB, 2019 3M Open
Oakmont Country Club bans Wyndham Clark over locker incident; Reveals specific conditions to earn reinstatement
Adam Scott puts Callaway blades in the bag at Wyndham Championship
Report: LIV star fires caddie and coach in shock shake up
Rickie Fowler makes equipment change to ‘something that’s a little easier on the body’
The championship formula: How 3 key stats separate winners from the field
Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
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geohogan
May 18, 2022 at 4:30 pm
Jack Nicklaus once again demonstrates why he is the G.O.A.T.
Most majors, most runnerups in majors and character to back it up.
JP
May 18, 2022 at 5:15 pm
But he’s been working for the Saudis……
JoAnn
Aug 4, 2022 at 2:02 pm
Greg Norman thinks he’s King of LIV.
He’s a A##hole. NOT letting in Daly, and I’m done buying anything that has the SHARK on it !!!
benseattle
May 18, 2022 at 3:15 pm
If true, good riddance. For some thirty years, Greg Norman has preened before the world….all the while continuing to harbor a seething grudge against the PGA Tour. His seedy association with the Saudi fund isn’t designed to “grow the game” but is, instead, a vehicle intending to use massive Middle East oil money to lure clueless and/or naïve and/or uncaring golfers whose main concern is not about history but Cash Only. And, to be sure, they’ll get a few. Poaching PGA Tour players to compete in LIV Golf events will only serve to weaken the U.S. tournaments so why would commissioner Jay Monahan give them free rein to go and then come back? NOBODY is stopping any golfer to join the LIV tour but the bylaws — that they agreed to — stipulate that the door only swings one way. And while on the subject, what about the dozens of charities that could be devastated if LIV Golf is successful in siphoning off top players? Norman’s backers have no charity component; it’s all about stuffing dollars bills into the pockets of athletes with the sole intention of using sport as a cover for their various human rights abuses. You thought Norman’s 1996 Masters was bad? How about the humiliation if he’s deemed too toxic for the Saudi regime?
geohogan
May 20, 2022 at 3:12 pm
Narcissist Norman, was the “bait and switch” front man for MBS.
Tom Kay
May 18, 2022 at 1:16 pm
Greg has always been wound up tight. Ego is not your amigo.
Mrgeek33
May 18, 2022 at 11:07 am
I don’t care how much money they throw at it… I give it a year and it’ll be gone. Just like pretty much every other league that tries to compete with the Major leagues. XFL type of thing. There’s just not enough competition especially when you only have 16 of the top 100 players. Most of whom are washed up or at the end of their careers. Who wants to watch that?
Dave
May 18, 2022 at 9:28 am
Greg Norman, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Phil Mickelson are scum. Bunch of racist, disgusting fools who have no place in golf. The PGA has to remove these idiots from all the history books and venues.
Such a dark day for the PGA to have these racist disgusting old pieces of garbage as part of their history.
I hope all countries ban them from playing in any tournament.
geohogan
May 24, 2022 at 11:24 am
Next slave owner George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
America was build by genocide (50+ million indigenous people of Western hemisphere) and slavery. Understand you would want to selectively erase history.
Thomas Woodward
Jul 27, 2022 at 8:39 pm
WOW Dave, you’ve really flew off the handle with those statements. Are you an indoctro-procto syndrome suffer and mom and dad are going to banish you from the basement, or did you just find out ANTIFA is not going to give you a field commander position so you can quite your fry-cook job at Mc D’s? Either way, YOU GOT problems between the ears…
Michael
May 18, 2022 at 9:19 am
What goes around comes around. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
The boy king and his cohorts are getting what they deserve – embarrassment and ridicule – for hiring a clown with an ego bigger than their oil output.
I wonder if Bin Salaman or whatever the correct spelling is, will have someone whacked like they did with Kashoggi’s killers in order to try and have plausible denial for his screw up. Yet another one in a long line since this guy convinced the King tomato him the heir and CEO
White Hall
May 18, 2022 at 12:12 am
LIV it up homeboy!
Chismgism
May 17, 2022 at 9:32 pm
Gas shortage, baby formula shortage, food shortage… all caused by a leadership shortage. High prices, high taxes, high crime, high world tensions… all caused by His highness lyin Joe Biden.
geohogan
May 20, 2022 at 3:16 pm
dont forget covid 19, climate change, melting arctic, full moon,
monkey pox and your dogs itchy balls
Bob
May 17, 2022 at 5:56 pm
I heard Gary Player is an easy sellout who will do it for 50 million.
John mac
May 17, 2022 at 4:37 pm
But somehow, it,s ok to send billions of dollars worth of golf equipment, I mean weapons? MAGA double standard, me thinks.
Oldlefty70
May 17, 2022 at 5:46 pm
I don’t believe you do any real critical thinking…you must be a Biden zombie using this article about Greg Norman to take a mindless jab at Trump and the MAGA crowd!! Your man Joe embraced and approved of the Beijing Olympics….and you are o.k. with that…and you think corrupt dementia Joe is pure as the driven snow!!?
Bob
May 17, 2022 at 6:00 pm
How many wars did Trump start during his 4 years? How many did he even incite?
That’s what I thought. Get that TDS checked.
Trump is not in their Big Club. That’s why no war and no MIC welfare. Get yourself ready for the draft for Ukr so the Quid Pro Big Guy can get his 10 and keep himself and his junkie son out of jail.
AnnoyedWithYourDumbAss
May 17, 2022 at 7:24 pm
JFC you’re a fking idiot. Trump incited rebellion on his own government, used the National Guard on peaceful protestors while he cowered like a bitch in a bunker, taunted PDRK mercilessly, caused China to threaten the immediate calling on massive debts due to huge tariffs then further incited with “China virus” comments. You just ball wash Trump so much and suck up to Fox News blowhards that you’ve turned into a sheep.
Arthur Jones
Aug 9, 2022 at 1:02 pm
You’re entitled to your own idiocy but not your own facts. You don’t incite a rebellion by asking people to go home. All your cringeworthy criticisms are based on methods. You invective is devoid of substance. He taunted North Korea? what became of that? Oh right, Nothing. Retaliatory tariffs? Yes, it’s called a trade war but in fairness, I wouldn’t expect a braindead troglodyte like you to understand strategic macroeconomics. The greatest irony in your post is calling other people sheep right after regurgitating corporate media’s propaganda conflating a protest with an insurrection. The definition of a useful idiot.
JP
May 18, 2022 at 5:17 pm
Exactly. The red hat brigade pick and chose without reason because they ain’t smart enough to reason.
John
Aug 5, 2022 at 1:43 pm
That should be ‘picked and chose’. You shouldn’t be telling anyone they aren’t smart.
Drkviol801
May 20, 2022 at 5:23 am
TRUMPS FAULT FOR GAS PRICES, #SLAVAUKRAINA BLACK LIVES MATTER , LIBS LOVE KILLING BABIES !
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Glenn
May 17, 2022 at 2:45 pm
Let them play there. No reason they have to let them play on the PGA tour, their choice
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Brain Damage
May 17, 2022 at 1:26 pm
It seems incredibly petty that golfers who belong to the PGA or the European tour are not being allowed (released) to play in this league. This is not the NBA, MLB, or NFL. This is freaking golf. These golfers are like independent contractors. If they want to go play in XYZ League or tournament they should be more than allowed to do as they please. Absolutely ridiculous. .
Jack
May 17, 2022 at 7:01 pm
You got the independent bit correct, yet ignored the contractor bit. Everyone on the PGA signs a contract of exclusivity to the PGA tour, if the PGA says you don’t get permission that’s the risk a player MUST accept by signing the contract. Permission has never been given for any event taking place in USA.
PGA isn’t banning them either, just means you can’t play on the PGA if you go to LIV.
ZFG
May 18, 2022 at 9:48 am
so where does “the match” phil vs tiger for $10M (not charity) fall under your permission slip rule? pretty sure that wasn’t a sanctioned pga tour event…
p.s i’d be willing to bet anything you can get or borrow that if tiger played in a LIV event he would still be welcomed to play any event he chooses on the pga tour… disagree?
Kevin Ricciardelli
May 18, 2022 at 11:22 am
Just like Brittney Griner?
Jeff Patterson
May 18, 2022 at 1:41 pm
No one is stopping them from playing wherever they want , they just saying you can’t come back to the Tour that you seem to despise and can’t wait to leave . So what’s the problem ?
JP
May 18, 2022 at 5:20 pm
Independent contractors ?
Imagine an independent contractor working for two competing IT firms in the same space at the same time. That’d be interesting.
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