19th Hole
Rory McIlroy reveals how Greg Norman recently soured relationship after olive branch had emerged
Rory McIlroy has arguably become the face of the PGA Tour. Despite Tiger Woods and McIlroy calling for Greg Norman to step down from his position as CEO of LIV Golf, “the Shark” is still very much the face of the rival golf league. With their respective positions, it hasn’t been all that surprising that the relationship between the two big names in the world of golf has grown exceedingly contentious.
However, what may be a bit surprising to some is that up until recently, the relationship between the two was very strong.
In McIlroy’s recent interview with the “Sunday Independent“, the 33-year-old revealed some conversations he’d had in the recent past that give a better understanding of his complex relationship with Norman.
Rory was one of the first players to say he wasn’t interested in joining a rival golf league with huge, guaranteed contracts being the motivating factor.
“He (Norman) wasn’t happy, and we had a pretty testy back-and-forth and he was very condescending. ‘Maybe one day you’ll understand’ and all this (stuff),”
However, McIlroy remembered some kindness showed from Norman after Rory collapsed at the 2011 Masters. After the tournament, Norman reached out to McIlroy with some words of comfort. “He was great,” McIlroy said.
With that in mind, McIlroy reached out to Norman after watching the 30 for 30 documentary about Norman’s 1996 Masters collapse that was released in April of 2022.
“So, I said to him, ‘Watching it reminded me of how you reached out to me in 2011, and I just want to say that I’ll always appreciate it. It meant a lot. I know our opinion on the game of golf right now is very different, but I just wanted you to know that and wish you all the best.”
“So, a bit of an olive branch, and he came back to me straightaway: ‘I really think golf can be a force for good around the world… I know our opinions are not aligned but I’m just trying to create more opportunities for every golfer around the world.”
At that point, although they disagreed on whether LIV was a good or bad thing for golf, they seemed to have reached a level of mutual respect and gone their separate ways. Until, according to McIlroy, Norman re-opened the floodgates by saying just a few weeks later that Rory had been “brainwashed” by the PGA Tour.
“A couple of weeks later, he (Norman) does an interview with The Washington Post and says I’ve been brainwashed by the PGA Tour. We’ve had this really nice back-and-forth and he says that about me.”
After the interview, McIlroy’s thought process changed: “I thought, you know what? I’m going to make it my business now to be as much of a pain in his a**e as possible,” with the four-time major winner claiming that the PGA Tour is lucky Norman is involved in LIV because, as he said, “if they had found someone less polarizing, LIV could have made more inroads.”
At this point, it seems as if the relationship between two of the biggest stars of each of their eras is beyond repair. The two have gone back and forth with comments on multiple occasions in the past few months and there doesn’t appear to be any desire on either side for a mending of the fences anytime soon.
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- ‘Getting to a point where I just don’t give a s**t’ – Danielle Kang blasts greens at latest LPGA event
- Harry Styles has a smoother golf swing than you could ever imagine
- ‘WTF is a FIGJAM?’ – Greg Norman left confused by golf fan’s jibe involving infamous Mickelson nickname
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19th Hole
LET pro gives detailed financial breakdown of first week on tour…and the net result may shock you
On Friday morning, Ladies European Tour player, Hannah Gregg, took to social media to share her weekly expenses playing on the LET.
Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour:
Flights: $2600
Work Visa: $350
Food: $377
Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé
Hotel: $0 because @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week! ?
Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car ??…— Hannah Gregg (@hannahbggg) April 26, 2024
“Expenses of my first week on Ladies European Tour: Flights: $2600 Work Visa: $350
- Food: $377
- Caddie: $0 because I have an amazing Fiancé
- Hotel: $0 because @GregChalmersPGA sorted me host housing for the week!
- Rental Car: +0 because the Tour Tee guys GAVE me their car
- Gas: $165
- Entry Fee: $130
- Lounge Pass for caddie: $50
- Gym: $0
- Yardage book: $0
- Total expenses: $3672
Made cut, finished 54th, total earned: $1244 Factor in 35% tax on earnings. To break even, needed to finish 24th. To make money, 21st. Guess we have our goals laid out for next event!”
When factoring in Gregg’s free housing, free caddie and free rental car, it’s evident that most LET players would have to finish well inside of the top-20 to make any money.
With ridiculous amounts of money being thrown around in professional golf these days, it’s important to remember the other side of the coin as well. There are countless professionals out there who struggle to get by on their golf salary.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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19th Hole
54-hole golf tour deemed eligible for OWGR points…but it’s not LIV
After a seventeen-month application process, a 54-hole golf tour was deemed eligible for OWGR points.
Unfortunately, for LIV Golf and their fans, it was the Clutch Pro Tour.
After the decision, which is effective immediately, OWGR chairman Peter Dawson issued a statement.
“This is a significant milestone for golf, and OWGR is deeply encouraged by the achievement and the continued efforts in developing the sport of golf in the United Kingdom.”
“We look forward to watching the progress of the Clutch Pro Tour as it continues to play a key role in the development of players from the region,” Dawson added.
OWGR Announcement
Read more here – https://t.co/7J4bFpawqv#OWGR#OfficialWorldGolfRanking pic.twitter.com/ZfBJWCFAm8— OWGR (@OWGRltd) April 25, 2024
The Clutch Pro Tour operates in the United Kingdom and features a 36-hole cut. It also has an open qualifying school.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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19th Hole
Charlie Woods attempting to qualify for spot at 2024 U.S. Open
As first reported by Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated, Charlie Woods will be attempting to qualify for this year’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.
The first stage of qualifying for this year’s tournament will be an 18-hole local event on Thursday, April 25th, in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
There will be 84 players in the field, five of which will reach the 36-hole qualifier that will take place in June.
Earlier this season, Charlie attempted to qualify for the Cognizant Classic, and struggled, shooting an 86.
If the younger Woods is able to qualify, he will tee it up in the same field as his father in a few months at one of the more historic U.S. Open venues.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
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