Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy don’t like me – but I know I’ve made them richer

Greg Norman has further fuelled his rift with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

The LIV Golf chief executive will leave his role in August having been replaced by Scott O’Neill.

Norman believes he has helped make Woods richer through LIV Golf
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Norman believes he has helped make Woods richer through LIV GolfCredit: Getty

Woods and McIlroy have been vocal critics of Norman and LIV
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Woods and McIlroy have been vocal critics of Norman and LIVCredit: Getty
Norman has been in the role since the Saudi-backed league was formed in 2021.

The controversial rival to the PGA Tour has faced criticism from some of the sport’s biggest name, most notably Woods and McIlroy.

Meanwhile, the pair’s new TMRW Golf League (TGL) began this month with the start of its inaugural season.

The TGL combines traditional and simulated indoor golf in a team format, featuring players from the PGA Tour.

However, Norman has no plans to watch the new league, due in part to comments made by McIlroy and Woods in the past regarding his involvement with LIV Golf.

Back in 2022, McIlroy said: “There’s a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen. I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left.

“He’s made his mark, but I think now is the right time to sort of say, look, you’ve got this thing off the ground but no one is going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.

“Then things can happen. But right now, it’s a stalemate because there can’t be any other way.”

Asked about watching the TGL, Norman told Golf Digest: “No, I haven’t watched a bit of it because there’s a couple of players who’ve been very vocal against me.

“So I’m not going to say anything positive or negative about it. All I can say is: the more golf gets exposure in different ways, the better off it is.

Norman will leave his role as LIV Golf chief executive in August
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Norman will leave his role as LIV Golf chief executive in AugustCredit: Getty

He has no plans to watch McIlroy and Woods' TGL, though
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He has no plans to watch McIlroy and Woods’ TGL, thoughCredit: Getty
“Simulator golf is simulator golf. We had putt-putt and all those miniature golf courses we built around the world. I think innovation is a wonderful thing, I’m not going to belittle that.

“I wish them all the very best and success because it’s the market, right? They’re going to be pulling people into the game of golf…”

Norman has also taken credit for boosting the earnings of stars on the PGA Tour through the Player Impact Program (PIP).

Launched in 2020, PIP rewards golf’s biggest stars for bringing more eyes to the sport.

Woods has since earned $45million through PIP from the PGA Tour despite playing in just ten events.

Addressing the possibility of discussing how they have all benefited from LIV Golf with the duo, Norman added: “I would love to. I would love them to recognise the fact that – like Tiger with his PIP money – that only came because of LIV, right?

Woods earned $10million through PIP in 2024
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Woods earned $10million through PIP in 2024Credit: Getty

“So Tiger benefited from that. Rory’s definitely benefited from that.

“I would love to sit down and talk to them about it, no question about it. Because I’m not a judgemental person and you only learn the facts and truth when you hear the other side of it.

“But, yes, would I like to sit down with them? Sure, absolutely. And you know what? I’d win the debate.”

As well as his overall PIP earnings, Woods was also the highest paid player through the initiative in 2024.

The 15-time major winner played in five events last year but received $10million from the tour.

This amount was the most on the PGA Tour, ahead of Scottie Scheffler and McIlroy on $8million and $4.5million, respectively.