Saudi Golf League: Greg Norman digs as stoush with PGA continues

It has been a tough week for Greg Norman and his quest to garner support for a Saudi-backed billion-dollar golf league — but it has only strengthened his resolve.

Greg Norman is digging in for a fight. Picture: Getty Images

Greg Norman is digging in for a fight and he has the top dog on the PGA Tour in his sights.

The two-time British Open champion released a letter — penned to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan — to media outlets including News Corp on Friday morning, accusing him of attempting to bully and threaten players who were contemplating joining Norman’s Saudi-backed golf league.

“Commissioner – this is just the beginning,” Norman wrote.

“It certainly is not the end. Competition in all aspects of life, sport, and business is healthy and the players deserve to be well compensated, which is why so many players have expressed an interest in playing in a new league.

“But when you threaten to end players’ careers and when you engage in unfair labor practices with your web of player restrictions, you demonstrate exactly why players are open minded about joining a league that treats players well, respects them, and compensates them according to their true worth.”

Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial >

Greg Norman is digging in for a fight. Picture: Getty Images

It has been a tough week for Norman and his quest to garner support for the billion-dollar league. A host of prominent players have spoken out against his plans and pledged their support to the PGA Tour, led by the likes of Rory McIlroy.

At the same time, the league suffered a sledgehammer blow when one of its biggest supporters, Phil Mickelson, was exposed over comments he made to a reporter suggesting he was willing to overlook the Saudi government’s human rights record if it meant getting a better deal for players on the PGA Tour.

Mickelson has since apologised, but he has lost sponsors and support. So did Norman as a result but if anything, it appears to have only strengthened his resolve. So too comments by Monahan this week when he reiterated that players faced a choice between the PGA Tour and the Saudi league.

In an interview with Associated Press on Thursday, Monahan said he had told players at a meeting on Wednesday that players needed to make a decision. He said that anyone who signed up to the Saudi league would lose their PGA Tour membership and there was no guarantee they would get it back.

That clearly infuriated Norman.

“Surely you jest,” Norman wrote.

Greg Norman has endured a tough week as he looks to garner support for the billion-dollar league. Picture: AFP

“And surely, your lawyers at the PGA Tour must be holding their breath. As has been widely reported, you have threatened the players on the PGA Tour, all of whom are independent contractors, with lifetime bans if they decide to play golf in a league sponsored by anyone other than the Tour.

“For decades, I have fought for the rights of players to enjoy a career in which they are rewarded fully and properly for their efforts.

“They are one-in-a-million athletes. Yet for decades, the Tour has put its own financial ambitions ahead of the players, and every player on the tour knows it.

“The Tour is the Players Tour not your administration’s Tour. Why do you call the crown jewel in all tournaments outside the Majors “The Players Championship” and not “The Administration’s Championship?”

Phil Mickelson lost sponsors and support over his recent comments. Picture: Getty Images

“But when you try to bluff and intimidate players by bullying and threatening them, you are guilty of going too far, being unfair, and you likely are in violation of the law.

“Simply put, you can’t ban players from playing golf. Players have the right and the freedom to play where we like.

“I know for a fact that many PGA players were and still are interested in playing for a new league, in addition to playing for the Tour. What is wrong with that?

“What is wrong with allowing players to make their own decisions about where to play and how often to play? What is so wrong with player choice?

“Why do you feel so threatened that you would resort to such a desperate, unwise, and unenforceable threat?”