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LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman Spotted at Augusta National
Golf’s power brokers gather annually at the Masters but one was a surprise sight Wednesday.
The Masters is an annual gathering spot for golf’s power brokers, so it’s no surprise to see leaders of tours, industry and more under the big tree next to the clubhouse, or anywhere else on the grounds at Augusta National.
But one visitor Wednesday turned some heads: Greg Norman.
The LIV Golf commissioner attended the practice day on the eve of the 88th Masters, wearing his trademark shark-logo straw hat and a LIV-logoed shirt. Getty Images photographer David Cannon captured Norman mingling and at one point shaking hands with fellow Australian Min Woo Lee.
Norman is reviled in many circles of the game for his role in leading LIV Golf, which is in its third season. The Saudi-backed league has signed a number of PGA Tour stars since its inception, including defending Masters champion Jon Rahm.
Last year’s Masters was the first since LIV began play in June 2022, and Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley confirmed that Norman was not in attendance, whereas executives from the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were on site.
“We did not extend an invitation to Mr. Norman,” Ridley said at his annual press conference in 2023. “The primary issue and the driver there is that I want the focus this week to be on the Masters competition, on the great players that are participating, the greatest players in the world, which, by our decision in December, we ensured that we were going to honor and be consistent with our invitation criteria.
“I would also add that, in the last 10 years, Greg Norman has only been here twice, and I believe one of those was as a commentator for Sirius Radio.
“It really was to keep the focus on the competition.”
