CHARLOTT, NC (AP) — Greg Norman said he was asked not to attend December’s QBE Shootout, the PGA Tour-sanctioned event he started as the Shark Shootout in 1989, at the Tiburon golf course he designed.
It is not clear who wants him not to participate in the 9-11 December tournament. The tournament director said it was a collective decision.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman (left) and LIV Golf General Manager Majed Al Sorour hail from the scene before the trophy presentation at the LIV Golf Invitational-Boston on Sunday, September 4, 2022, in Bolton, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
Norman, who is in Washington to meet with members of Congress about the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series, made the news on Instagram Tuesday night, without specifying who was behind it.
“Why ask? Maybe because I’m helping to breathe new life into golf, create new value, and deliver a new product that appeals to players, fans, and publishers,” Norman said. grant their rights as independent contractors.
“Some people see it as very destructive and evolution a bad thing. I disagree – competition breeds excellence.”
The QBE Shootout was the first in an unofficial end-of-season PGA Tour season to raise more than $1 million for childhood cancer, now says it has raised over $15 million. It consists of 12 teams of two players competing in different formats.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman threw a beer at the fans on Course 18 during the final round of the LIV Golf Invitational-Boston on Sunday, September 4, 2022, in Bolton, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
The defending champions are Jason Kokrak and Kevin Nah. They won’t be returning this year because the PGA Tour has suspended players who signed with LIV Golf, and the QBE Shootout is a tour-sanctioned tournament.
Although Norman said he didn’t agree, he said in an Instagram post that the money raised for charity is the most important thing to him.
“That’s why I decided not to attend the event this year to focus on current missions,” he said.
Tournament director Rob Hartman told The Naples Daily News that it was a mutual decision.
“As we got closer, it was finally decided to step back and focus on our really great philanthropic partners,” Hartman said. “When he started this event 34 years ago, it was about philanthropy, and now it’s about philanthropy. Greg decided he didn’t want to take anything away from that.”
This summer, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club also asked Norman not to attend the celebrations surrounding the 150th British Open in St Andrews due to the LIV Golf distraction that has cost PGA Tour players so dearly. The rivals like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau have moved to the league.
Source: Breitbart
