Tag: Greg Norman

‘I’ll be there:’ Per report, Phil Mickelson plans on playing U.S. Open, all LIV Golf Invitational Series events

The winner of 45 PGA Tour titles and six major championships broke his silence of nearly four months.

Phil Mickelson said he is playing in next week’s U.S. Open.

The member of the World Golf Hall of Fame also said he plans to play in all eight of the LIV Golf Invitational Series events this year, beginning Thursday in the inaugural tournament at the Centurion Club outside of London.

And Mickelson said he will not resign his PGA Tour membership.

In a wide-ranging, exclusive interview with Bob Harig of SI.com/Morning Read posted Monday, the winner of 45 PGA Tour titles and six major championships broke his silence of nearly four months to address a number of topics.

Mickelson, 51, has been in a self-imposed exile since disparaging remarks he made about the PGA Tour’s “dictatorship” and the horrendous human rights record of the oppressive Saudi Arabia regime which is backing the upstart LIV Golf Invitational Series spearheaded by Greg Norman became public.

Mickelson last played on the PGA Tour at the Farmers Insurance Open in January. He missed the Masters and the PGA Championship, where he would have defended his title won in 2021 on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island when he became the oldest player to ever win a major.

“It’s been a tremendous opportunity for me to spend time with (wife) Amy and loved ones that I’ve never really had this opportunity to do in my life,” Mickelson said about his time away from the game. “I’ve been able to be much more present and engaged when I’m with the people I love. I feel much more healthy and at peace. I’ve spent a lot of time doing therapy and dealing with issues that I have.

“But I’ve come away with a balance in my life and a renewed excitement and energy to get back to playing golf.”

Harig asked 16 questions in a phone interview before Mickelson boarded a plane to fly to London. Mickelson said he’s excited about the team format LIV Golf is presenting, the 54-hole, no-cut, 48-man fields that will play eight events featuring more than $255 million in prize money.

“I think after doing this for 30 years, I’m excited about something new and this different format,” Mickelson told SI.com/Morning Read. “And at this point in my life, just as importantly, it gives some balance in my life for Amy and I.

BMW Championship 2021
Phil Mickelson looks on before teeing off on the fifth hole during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament, Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021, at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

“This motivates me to work hard and compete. But it also gives me time and opportunity to have the balance in my life that I’m looking forward to doing with (wife) Amy and that I’ve always wanted to do. I’m excited for the opportunities both on the golf course and off.”

Mickelson said he has not spoken with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who did not grant releases to any player to participate in the inaugural event. In addition to Mickelson, the field includes Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Louis Oosthuizen and Kevin Na.

The league, backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, poses a threat to the PGA Tour and Monahan said disciplinary action will be taken against any player who plays in the LIV Golf Invitational Series. As well, controversy surrounds Saudi Arabia’s human rights atrocities including the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and regular beheadings.

“I certainly do not condone human rights violations,” Mickelson said. “And addressing what happened to Jamal Khashoggi is awful. But I have seen the good that game of golf has done throughout history. And I really believe that LIV can be good for the game of golf as well.”

As for his future standing with the PGA Tour, Mickelson said he hopes to keep his lifetime membership (earned with a minimum of 20 wins and 15 years on the PGA Tour).

“I’m certainly grateful for the 30-plus years that I’ve had with the PGA Tour. The many memories and experiences that I’ve shared,” Mickelson said. “And I’d like to think that I contributed to the PGA Tour over that time. And I have earned a lifetime membership. I’m hopeful that stays the same. I also feel it’s important for any player to have the right to play wherever they want, in addition to me being able to keep my lifetime membership.”

Mickelson also addressed his financial status and reports his gambling has jeopardized his standard of living.

“My gambling got to a point of being reckless and embarrassing. I had to address it. And I’ve been addressing it for a number of years,” he said. “And for hundreds of hours of therapy. I feel good where I’m at there. My family and I are and have been financially secure for some time.

“Gambling has been part of my life ever since I can remember. But about a decade ago is when I would say it became reckless. It’s embarrassing. I don’t like that people know. The fact is I’ve been dealing with it for some time. Amy has been very supportive of it and with me and the process. We’re at a place after many years where I feel comfortable with where that is. It isn’t a threat to me or my financial security. It was just a number of poor decisions.”

As for his golf game, Mickelson said he didn’t touch a club for a few months. During his time away from the game, there was just one short video posted to social media of him swinging a club.

“When I came back, I started playing really well,” he said. “And I found myself on the golf course much more calm. Shooting some good scores. I’m working with (swing coach) Andrew (Getson) and I’m excited about playing. But I’m uncertain how I will play given that I haven’t played in a few months.

“But I’m optimistic.”

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Phil Mickelson to play in first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London this week

Lefty wasn’t on the initial release of names for the London event.

Phil Mickelson’s name wasn’t on the initial list of players for this week’s LIV Golf Invitational Series opener in London, but did you really think Lefty would miss out?

On Monday, hours after announcing its plans to stream the inaugural event at Centurion Club outside London, June 9-11, it was also announced that Mickelson would be ending his self-imposed hiatus and teeing it up alongside Dustin Johnson, Kevin Na and the rest of the LIV Golf field.

Mickelson last competed on the PGA Tour in January, where he missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open. He then finished T-18 a week later at the Saudi International. He has largely avoided the public after making controversial comments about the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia.

“Phil Mickelson is unequivocally one of the greatest golfers of this generation. His contributions to the sport and connection to fans around the globe cannot be overstated and we are grateful to have him. He strengthens an exciting field for London where we’re proud to launch a new era for golf,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf.

Five additional players were added to the field, qualifying via the Asian Tour International Series following last week’s International Series England competition at Slayley Hall: Itthipat Buranatanyarat, Viraj Madappa, Travis Smyth, Ian Snyman and Kevin Yuan.

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Greg Norman suggests Rory McIlroy has been ‘brainwashed,’ Jack Nicklaus is a ‘hypocrite,’ Tiger Woods was offered ‘high nine digits’ by Saudi-backed LIV Golf

In a story by the Washington Post, Greg Norman discusses Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Rory McIlroy.

Greg Norman, the public face of the breakaway LIV Golf series, says the executives and agents who currently run golf “are conspiring against LIV to protect an antiquated system that prevents golfers from realizing their own power and worth amid a global movement of athlete empowerment.”

In a story by the Washington Post titled, “The Shark is on the attack again,” Norman also criticized Rory McIlroy and others, suggesting they’ve been “brainwashed” against the LIV movement. McIlroy has been vocal in speaking out in favor of the PGA Tour.

Last month, at a media event to promote the first LIV Golf Series event in London, which is scheduled to tee off this week, Norman, who is the chief executive of the LIV Golf Invitational, funded primarily by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, appeared to downplay the 2018 killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

“Everybody has owned up to it, right?” Norman said, according to London-based newspaper The Times. “It has been spoken about, from what I’ve read, going on what you guys reported. 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.”

In the Washington Post article, he appears to take a similar stance.

“I’m not in this thing for Khashoggi or anything like that,” he says. “I’m in here because of the game of golf. That’s what I care about. If I focus on the game of golf and don’t get dragged into this other stuff, that’s my priority.”

Asked about his conscience, Norman again looks bewildered.

“Every country,” he says, “has got a cross to bear.”

Norman says that LIV Golf approached representatives of Tiger Woods, hoping to woo him over from the PGA Tour. Woods has publicly confirmed his commitment to the PGA Tour on several occasions, but according to the Washington Post story:

“The tour’s consultant also pitched representatives for Woods, who once staged his own public coup with the PGA Tour over marketing rights. Norman says Woods turned down a deal that was ‘mind-blowingly enormous; we’re talking about high nine digits.’ “

Norman also called Jack Nicklaus a hypocrite after recently speaking out against LIV. According to a report in May by Sports Illustrated, a complaint was filed May 13 against the golf legend in the Supreme Court of the State of New York by New York businessman Howard Milstein, executive chairman of the Nicklaus Companies who also oversees Golf Magazine and Golf.com. The suit alleges tortious interference, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty, alleging among other things Nicklaus had negotiations with the Saudi Arabia-funded Public Investment Fund, the backers of the LIV Golf Series.

Nicklaus says he told LIV on two occasions he wasn’t interested. Norman says that’s not exactly true, claiming that “Nicklaus attended a LIV presentation and later wrote in an email that the new tour had his blessing.”

“Quote-unquote, he said: ‘This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me,’ ” Norman says. “So, you want the facts? You’ve got the facts. Know what you said before you open your mouth.”

Money is the driving force behind the LIV Golf Series. Norman insists that first payday after the London event will be a game-changer.

“The players who decide to come on board, God bless them,” he told the Post. “They’re going to make a lot of money.”

USA TODAY’s Cydney Henderson and Golfweek’s Steve DiMeglio contributed to this article.

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LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London to be streamed on YouTube and Facebook

The list of global networks covering the inaugural event “will be made available later this week.”

American fans of both golf and soccer will hear some familiar voices if they decide to tune in to the LIV Golf Invitational Series this week.

The Saudi Arabia-backed entity led by Greg Norman that plans to rival the PGA Tour finally announced on Monday that Thursday’s first round at Centurion Club outside London can be streamed on the company’s website, as well as YouTube and Facebook. The list of global networks covering the inaugural event “will be made available later this week,” according to a release.

The announcement also stated that NBC Sports’ former voice of the Premier League, Arlo White, would be the play-by-play announcer, with Jerry Foltz and Dom Boulet joining in the booth. Su-Ann Heng, a former No. 1 in Singapore, will lead on-course commentating. Troy Mullins, “will serve as an on-course reporter and social influencer.”

Lynch: Dustin Johnson unsurprisingly fails character test with LIV Golf
More: Field list for London event released

The format features a 12-team, 48-player field with a shotgun start. More than 50 cameras, player and caddie mics will be used, with more production value to come as the season goes on.

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Longtime member Kevin Na resigns from PGA Tour to pursue other playing opportunities, including the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series

By resigning his membership, Na is no longer exempt into PGA Tour-sanctioned events this year.

Five-time PGA Tour winner Kevin Na announced on social media Saturday he resigned from the PGA Tour before he headed to London to play in the inaugural tournament of the LIV Golf Invitational Series at the Centurion Club June 9-11.

The 19-year veteran wrote of his love for the PGA Tour and the opportunities it provided but the upstart league headed by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia, which features eight events this year with $255 million in prize money, 54-hole no-cut events and shotgun starts, was too much to pass up.

By resigning his membership, Na is no longer exempt into PGA Tour-sanctioned events this year.

“Recent developments in the professional golf world have given me a chance to reconsider my options. I would like the freedom to play wherever I want and exercising my right as a free agent gives me that opportunity,” Na said in posts on Twitter and Instagram. “However to remain a PGA Tour player, I must give up my right to make choices about my career. If I exercise my right to choose where and when I play golf, then I cannot remain a PGA Tour player without facing disciplinary proceedings and legal action from the PGA Tour.

“I am sad to share that I have chosen to resign from the PGA Tour. This has not been an easy decision and now one I take lightly. I hope the current policies change and I’ll be able to play on the PGA Tour again.”

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has told PGA Tour members that players who opt to play in the LIV league face disciplinary action, which could include hefty fines, suspensions and even banishment from the PGA Tour.

Na joins Dustin Johnson, a former No. 1 player in the world who has a pair of majors under his belt, for the London event. Others listed in the field include Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Talor Gooch.

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Rory McIlroy reacts to list of names headed to first Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf event; PGA Tour reminds players they ‘have not been authorized to participate’

Rory McIlroy is not going to play in the inaugural LIV Golf event but he doesn’t begrudge anyone who is.

DUBLIN, Ohio – Rory McIlroy is not going to London next week to play in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series at the Centurion Club.

But he doesn’t begrudge anyone who is.

“I have some very close friends that are playing in this event in London, and I certainly wouldn’t want to stand in their way to do what they feel is right for themselves,” McIlroy said Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club, home to The Memorial. “It’s not something that I would do personally. But I certainly understand why some of the guys have went, and it’s something that we are all just going to keep an eye on and see what happens over these next few weeks.”

The upstart golf league headed by Greg Norman and backed by Saudi Arabia, announced the field Tuesday night for the first of eight events. Former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Dustin Johnson headlines the field. Earlier this year, Johnson pledged his allegiance to the PGA Tour but hedged a bit when talking at the PGA Championship.

“Dustin has been contemplating the opportunity off-and-on for the past couple of years,” said Johnson’s manager, David Winkle with Hambric Sports, in a statement. “Ultimately, he decided it was in his and his family’s best interest to pursue it. Dustin has never had any issue with the PGA Tour and is grateful for all it has given him, but in the end, felt this was too compelling to pass up.”

Major champions Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Charles Schwartzel, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell also are in the field, as are Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Kevin Na. Forty-two of the 48 players were announced; five others will qualify from the Asian Tour Series event this week and one invite remains. That could go to Phil Mickelson, who hasn’t played on the PGA Tour since January as he took a leave of absence following incendiary remarks aimed at the PGA Tour and the oppressive Saudi Arabia regime.

Sixteen of the world’s top 100 will play in the 54-hole, no-cut event featuring a $25 million purse, with $4 million going to the winner.

McIlroy described his feeling as “indifferent” when he saw the field.

“I certainly don’t think the field is anything to jump up and down about,” McIlroy said. “Look the field this week. Look at the field next week in Canada. They are proper golf tournaments.”

But he understands why some players will opt to play the LIV Golf Series.

“You have some guys in a position where like they are literally not guaranteed a job next year. It’s hard to stay in the Top 125 out here, especially when you’re a guy in your 40s and maybe you don’t hit the ball as far as you’ve used to,” McIlroy said. “As we’ve seen, it’s a young man’s game nowadays. So someone that isn’t guaranteed their Tour card next year, another entity comes along and says, we’ll guarantee you this amount for three years, plus you’re playing for a ton more prize money, and you’re playing less events, you can spend more time with your family.

“Whenever you sit down and look at some of those things, you know, it’s very appealing to some of those guys that are in that position. I’m not in that position, and it’s not something that I would do.”

The PGA Tour has threated serious penalties for those PGA Tour members who play in the LIV Golf Series events. Commissioner Jay Monahan denied player releases to play in London, as did the DP World Tour.

The PGA Tour released this statement Wednesday:

As communicated to our entire membership on May 10, PGA Tour members have not been authorized to participate in the Saudi Golf League’s London event, under PGA Tour Tournament Regulations. Members who violate the Tournament Regulations are subject to disciplinary action.

Three players in The Memorial field are heading to London. James Piot, the 2021 U.S. Amateur champion, declined to talk about his decision. Hudson Swafford said he would talk after the pro-am. And Matt Jones, two-time winner on the PGA Tour, including the 2021 Honda Classic, said he’s comfortable with his decision.

“I just thought it was a good business opportunity for me and my family,” he said. “I like the concept, the idea of the three-day tournaments, the team format aspect of things is great.”

And Jones has contemplated the prospect of being banished from the PGA Tour.

“I have thought about that, which is something I had to weigh up. I don’t think banning players is a good look for the PGA Tour, or for golf in general. I hope there is a way we can work around it,” he said. “But I’m very comfortable with my decision and I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s going to be good. I’m just excited to go and play golf. I love to compete. And I’ve always enjoyed playing golf course all around the world.”

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Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen in field for LIV Golf’s London event; no Phil Mickelson

We finally learned who is heading to London for the LIV Golf Series opener June 9–11 at the Centurion Golf Club.

After a slight delay, we finally learned who is heading to London for the LIV Golf Series opener on June 9–11 at the Centurion Golf Club.

Among those in the field for the debut event for the outfit fronted by Greg Norman and backed by the Saudis is Dustin Johnson, a former No. 1 player in the world who has a pair of majors under his belt. LIV officials had previously insisted the field would be announced last Friday — which is also the day each week the PGA Tour announces fields — but the news wasn’t released until Tuesday night.

Others listed in the field include Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Talor Gooch. Kevin Na and Lee Westwood, also long rumored to be on the roster, were also announced as part of the group.

Phil Mickelson was not in the field, but there is still a chance he’s added before the event begins. Also, a number of players will be added after an International Series event this week being played in London.

Back in April, Golfweek broke the news that the PGA Tour would not grant waivers to players looking to play in the tournament, reversing a long-standing protocol of allowing players to play limited events overseas.

All members are required to seek a conflicting event release to compete in non-Tour events.

Back in February, Johnson released a statement stating he was fully committed to the PGA Tour. For nearly a year, Johnson, who counts 24 PGA Tour titles on his resume, has been rumored to be one of the top players who would join the circuit that would pay enormous amounts of guaranteed money, siphon off some of the game’s biggest names and be a direct rival with the PGA Tour.

Speculation of Johnson joining the league has been fueled in part by his playing in the Saudi International the past four years; he won in 2019 and 2021.

“Over the past several months, there has been a great deal of speculation about an alternative tour; much of which seems to have included me and my future in professional golf,” Johnson’s statement said in February. “I feel it is now time to put such speculation to rest. I am fully committed to the PGA Tour. I am grateful for the opportunity to play the best tour in the world and for all it has provided me and my family.”

The first year of the series will feature an eight-event schedule in 2022 with plenty more to allegedly come in the next few years.

LIV Golf has 10 events planned for next year and 14 events slated for 2024 and 2025 in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and North America. Official dates and locations were not announced.

“We have a long-term vision and we’re here to stay,” said Norman, the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, via a release. “We’re going to grow the game, give more opportunities to players, and create a more entertaining product for fans. We believe in adding new experiences and energy to golf, and that includes building out our future schedule in more global markets. We’re creating an entertaining product that will increase golf participation and attract new fans across a broader global footprint. We realize it won’t happen overnight, and we’re excited for the opportunities LIV Golf will add to the game as we continue to grow.”

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LIV Golf misses another announcement day, field for London opener still unreleased

In what’s become a recurring theme, the field was not released.

Friday was supposed to be the day we learned who was heading to London for the LIV Golf Series opener June 9–11 at the Centurion Golf Club.

In what’s become a recurring theme, the field was not released.

The Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led breakout league has been anything but punctual in the lead-up to the series debut. A few players have committed to play in the event, including Lee Westwood, Phil Mickelson, and Sergio Garcia.

At the Wells Fargo Championship, Garcia showed that he’s very much looking forward to putting the PGA Tour in his review mirror with his on-camera breakdown over a lost ball.

Westwood has already dealt with repercussions due to his decision, losing long-time sponsor UPS.

And, well, we all know what’s going on with Lefty.

On May 10th, the Tour denied the player’s request to play in the event.

“We have notified those who have applied that their request has been declined in accordance with the PGA Tour Tournament Regulations. As such, Tour members are not authorized to participate in the Saudi Golf League’s London event under our Regulations,” said the letter signed by PGA Tour Executive Vice President Tyler Dennis. “As a membership organization, we believe this decision is in the best interest of the PGA Tour and its players.”

Recently, it was reported that Jack Nicklaus was offered more than $100 million to be the face of the league. It would be objectively funny for LIV to wait until Memorial week to release the field. One, because the list of players set to tee it up at Murfield Village is likely to be loaded, and two, while we watch Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and many others, Norman and LIV are likely to start their campaign upon the backs of players mostly outside the upper echelon.

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Lynch: Thursday was a good day for golf, and another lousy one for Greg Norman

Sources tell Golfweek that UPS has also dropped another ambassador, Louis Oosthuizen.

TULSA, Okla. — Too often lately golf has seemed less a sport than a business, with every precinct of the professional game consumed by news, gossip, threats and intrigue about rival leagues and red lines. Thursday at Southern Hills promised a welcome return to the good ol’ days, when the game’s reference dictionary entries for ‘B’ included birdies and bogeys, but not bonesaws: a major championship, a sublime venue, a blockbuster group, a wealth of storylines—in short, golf as it used to be. That promise was delivered upon, and even the brief intrusion of the aforementioned corporate chicanery was positive.

It’s a testament to the depth of storylines at the 104th PGA Championship that the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 golfers in the world played together Thursday—and will again tomorrow—and they weren’t (and won’t be) the most eagerly anticipated group. It was the triumvirate of Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth that had thousands of spectators braving the sweltering noonday sun at Southern Hills.

On Wednesday evening, McIlroy brought his daughter, Poppy, to see an oversized mural of his 2014 PGA Championship victory in the media center. “That’s when Daddy was good!” he told her. Daddy was plenty good Thursday too, his 65 ending a streak of underwhelming opening rounds in majors. Elsewhere in his company, the man seeking the only missing prize in a career Grand Slam scrapped his way to a 72; while the GOAT staggered to a 74, which might still have been the most impressive of the three scorecards given his adventures over the last 15 months.

Even at much less than full power, Woods remains the biggest draw in the game. For 25 years, his presence has enhanced tournaments as surely as his absence has diminished others. The absence of those who confer credibility was a theme elsewhere Thursday, as Sports Business Journal reported that Sean Bratches has moved on to pastures that are, if not greener, then at least less bloodstained.

A name not widely known among golf fans, Bratches was hired six months ago as the chief commercial officer for LIV Golf, the outfit being fronted by Greg Norman and backed by the Saudi Arabian regime. He earned an impressive reputation over three decades with ESPN and F1, and among the washed-up and laid-off who populate the LIV Golf org chart, Bratches alone added business respectability to what is not a respectable business.

At a LIV Golf media event last week in London, Bratches sat on a dais beside Norman as the Great White Pilot Fish casually downplayed the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was dismembered on the orders of his employer, the Saudi Crown Prince. “Look, we’ve all made mistakes,” Norman said. “You just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.”

Thus the bonesaw carving of a critic is recast as a teaching moment. With those words, Greg Norman proved himself to be the Lehman Brothers of moral bankruptcy.

That grotesque moment illustrated the ethical gymnastics required to equivocate on behalf of murderers and human rights abusers, and Bratches tendered his resignation almost immediately. His departure leaves the Saudi effort to hijack professional golf in the hands of apparatchiks and a narcissist who isn’t renowned for his ability to close. His was but one domino to fall. By Thursday afternoon, Sports Illustrated reported that UPS has terminated its lengthy relationship with Lee Westwood, who has become a poster child for the LIV Golf tournaments. Sources tell Golfweek that UPS has also dropped another ambassador, Louis Oosthuizen, who was thought to be leaning toward the Saudi series too.

It seems unlikely UPS will be acting alone. Other corporations will surely follow suit and drop players who accept the squalid embrace of LIV Golf. In the crass corporate calculus, it’s apparently one thing to enjoy Saudi revenue as a company, quite another to watch your paid spokespersons peddling false equivalencies as part of a naked sportswashing endeavor. Companies who affiliate with LIV Golf players know their guys will surely face the same questions as Norman, and understand there is no good answer to them.

That looming cost-benefit analysis will be of little concern to the popular fraternity followed by fans at the PGA Championship Thursday. McIlroy, Woods, Spieth, Scheffler, Rahm, Zalatoris, Koepka, Thomas, Hovland, Morikawa—every one of them has publicly rejected Greg Norman and his odious enterprise. All in all, Thursday was a good day for golf fans, a good day for golf, and a deservingly bad one for Norman.

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Reports: Top exec quits LIV, Lee Westwood dumped by UPS, author says Greg Norman in peril

The news cycle surrounding the renegade circuit hasn’t slowed one bit.

Before ever holding a tournament, LIV Golf has certainly helped cause its fair share of tumult, from drawing the ire of the PGA Tour to precipitating the downfall of a once-beloved icon (and reigning PGA Championship winner) in Phil Mickelson.

This week, despite a major championship being played at Southern Hills Country Club, the news cycle surrounding the renegade circuit hasn’t slowed one bit.

Reports say one of the upstart league’s top executives has left his post, a key player was dropped from his endorsement deal after applying for waivers to play in tournaments, and one reporter said the face of the organization could possibly be removed.

According to Sports Business Journal, Sean Bratches, hired last November, has left his post as LIV Golf’s Chief Commercial Officer. CEO Greg Norman informed others in the group of Bratches’ decision.

The move comes as the inaugural tournament in the LIV Golf Invitational Series is scheduled for June 9-11 at London’s Centurion Club, the first of eight events, all of which feature a total of $255 million in prize money. The tournaments feature individual and team play, 54-hole no-cut events and shotgun starts.

Bratches’ experience comes from a nearly 30-year career with ESPN, which included his role as executive vice president of sales and marketing and a position on the ESPN board of directors, as well as Formula 1.

At the time he was announced in the role, Bratches sounded confident in the new circuit’s ability to succeed.

“I am encouraged by the comprehensive vision that we have for the sport and the platform that we will create to benefit professional golfers, the sport’s commercial partners, and in particular, the passionate fans of golf worldwide,” he said.

Although numerous reports said LIV Golf officials hoped to ink a media-rights deal worth somewhere near a half-billion dollars, Golfweek columnist Eamon Lynch tweeted that the first event might not reap any rewards for the group.

Meanwhile, one of the players expected to be welcomed into the LIV circuit, Lee Westwood, had his endorsement deal with UPS severed after 14 years, according to Alex Miceli of Sports Illustrated.

According to Miceli’s piece:

The former World No. 1 has been requested by the global courier and logistics company to remove the familiar brown and gold logo from his shirt and bag.

The actions by UPS appear to be due to the 49-year-old’s decision to ask for a release from both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in early June at Centurion Club outside of London.

The other UPS ambassador, Louis Oosthuizen, has also been linked with the Saudi-backed tour.

And as all this news swirls, the writer who unveiled comments from Mickelson about the Saudis — and his disregard for their dismal track record on human rights — said he thinks Norman’s days at the top of the organization are numbered.

In a Q&A that appeared on The Fire Pit Collective, Alan Shipnuck said he believes Norman could be replaced in the near future.

“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,” Shipnuck said on a podcast.

No other sources have corroborated that report on Norman, but the
World Golf Hall of Famer stirred the pot this week when he said the new league is not attempting to “sportswash” Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuse.

In fact, he downplayed the 2018 killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a media day on Wednesday.

“Everybody has owned up to it, right?” Norman said, according to London-based newspaper The Times. “It has been spoken about, from what I’ve read, going on what you guys reported. 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.”

Norman, 67, shared similar comments during an interview with Sky Sports when asked about Khashoggi and other human rights abuses by the Saudi Arabian government, including the mass execution of 81 people in March.

“It’s reprehensible what happened with Khashoggi. Own up to it, talk about it,” he said. “I’m not going to get into politics, I don’t know what the Saudi government does. I don’t want to get into that. Every country has a cross to bear.”

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