PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – It’s been another disheartening Sunday for Greg Norman.
The Hall of Fame golfer, who is leading the efforts behind the upstart Saudi Golf League, is renowned for blowing several majors on Sundays. This time, he suffered a setback of a different sort when both Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson announced their allegiance to the PGA Tour in the ongoing power struggle for control of the professional game.
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Rory McIlroy suggested that the strong support for the Tour this week from many of the biggest names in golf is a death blow to the Saudi Golf League.
“Who’s left? Who’s left to go? I mean, there’s no one. It’s dead in the water in my opinion. Yeah, I just can’t see any reason why anyone would go,” McIlroy said.
DeChambeau, who was reportedly offered at least $150 million, was expected to become the face of the Tour among the 40-and-under set. He posted a message on social media not long after Johnson had the PGA Tour’s communication staff tweet on his behalf. McIlroy said he didn’t know where DeChambeau stood until he finished his final round at the Genesis Invitational.
“No one really knew where Bryson stood,” McIlroy said. “I was really glad to see DJ and Bryson put out those statements this week. We all want to play against the best players in the world and they’re certainly two of the best players in the world and it’s nice to know that they’re committed to playing here and committed to making this the best tour in the world.
McIlroy also aimed a few arrows at Norman and his leadership team.
Rory McIlroy looks on from the third green during the second round of the 2022 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, California. (Photo: Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“I knew the way these guys have operated and it’s all been smoke and mirrors and they’ve created rumors and spread rumors and tried to play one guy off another and said one thing to one manager and said a different thing to another manager and just sort of created this chaos and confusion around that group, and everyone’s questioning everyone else’s motives so they’re just kind of playing everyone off one another. I think it’s nice now that we all can sit down and say, look, we’re all on the same page here,” he said.
“Are there things the Tour could do better and they’re working on, of course, but that’s the same in any business, in any sports league around the world, they’re all trying to get better, just as the PGA Tour are. But that is why the tournament in Saudi happened a couple weeks ago, I thought it was awfully quiet, there were no announcement that were really made, and I think once that happened everyone was waiting for something and nothing really came of it.”
McIlroy added, “I would say don’t try to fix something that’s not broken. I don’t think that the Tour and the system is broken.”
He also noted that failure to get the support of Tiger Woods was a critical failure.
“The epicenter of the professional world still revolves around Tiger, he is the epicenter, and if they don’t have him,” McIlroy said, it didn’t have a leg to stand on. “Like who knows when he’s going to play again, but if they don’t have his blessing even, it’s got no chance. Then roll in Jon Rahm, the best player in the world, Collin Morikawa, No. 2, me who’s been up there for a while, everyone else, I mean, yeah.”
In addition to blasting Norman, McIlroy saved some choice words for Phil Mickelson, who was quoted by Alan Shipnuck in a story on the Fire Pit Collective as being in cahoots with the Saudis in order to leverage as much as possible and overhaul the Tour’s structure.
“I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down obviously, but I thought they were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant,” McIlroy said. “It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad. I’m sure he’s sitting at home sort of rethinking his position and where he goes from here.”
So, too, may be Norman, and McIlroy delivered one more pot shot to him.
“Who else have you got to fill the field?” McIlroy said of the Saudi Golf League events. “I mean, Greg Norman would have to tee it up to fill the field. Like, I mean seriously? I mean, who else is going to do it? I don’t think they could get 48 guys.”