Rory McIlroy says he backs the R&A's decision to keep Greg Norman away from the Open's 150th year celebrations
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Published 13/07/2022 at 13:47 GMT
Rory McIlroy continues to back the traditionalists in the LIV series breakaway row that continues to engulf golf. The R&A - organisers of this week's British Open - decided not to invite LIV CEO Greg Norman, despite the Australian being a two-time winner of the event. McIlroy agreed though, maintaining that the focus should be on the "wonderful tournament".
'It's the holy grail of our sport' says McIlroy ahead of 150th Open at St Andrews
Rory McIlroy says that he backs the decision taken to not invite Greg Norman to events held to celebrate 150 years of the Open.
Norman - CEO of the controversial, Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series - has become a polarising figure since setting up the breakaway tour and this year's Open organisers, the R&A, decided - despite being a two-time winner of the tournament - that the Australian's presence would be a distraction.
That stance was agreed with by four-time major winner McIlroy, who has sided with the traditionalists thus far in the disputes that the LIV series has triggered, to the extent that he would rather not see the winner of the Open be a player currently affiliated to LIV.
Talking on the eve of the St Andrews event, McIlroy said: “I supported that decision [on Norman] and I think right now, because of everything that’s happening in the golf world, I think it was the right decision to be made.
“We want the focus to be on The 150th Open Championship and this being a celebration of a wonderful golf tournament and a wonderful game in general, and I think it was the right decision for that.
“Selfishly, for me, I think it would be better for the game [if a LIV player did not win].
“But at the end of the day, everyone that’s here has the same opportunity to go out there and try to win a Claret Jug.
"I’m not going to begrudge anyone if they win and they play on a different Tour than I play.”
McIlroy is one of the leading contenders to win the Open, having turned in some of his best form in the three preceding majors of 2022.
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And he would dearly love to add another Claret Jug to the one he won in 2014 at the Royal Liverpool, especially at a St Andrews venue considered the home of golf.
“I don’t know if a golfer’s career isn’t complete if you don’t [win at St Andrews], but I think it’s the Holy Grail of our sport," McIlroy said.
“Not a lot of people are going to get that opportunity to achieve that, but that’s what winning an Open at St Andrews is. It’s one of the highest achievements that you can have in golf.
“There’s a lot of great players that have won Opens and maybe not won Opens at St Andrews, so I think it’s unfair to say that a golfer’s career isn’t complete without that.
“But it’s certainly up there with one of the greatest things you can do in our game.”
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