‘Absolute disgrace’: Former friend tells Greg Norman to ‘hang your head in shame’

A former teammate has unloaded on golf icon Greg Norman in an explosive Facebook rant, calling the Aussie icon an “absolute disgrace”.

Golf champion Wayne Grady has unloaded on former friend and teammate Greg Norman in an explosive Facebook rant, accusing the Australian legend of “trying to take down” the PGA Tour “for 30 years”.

Norman, who is heading a new multibillion-dollar Saudi-backed LIV series, has copped a wave of backlash for his rebel golf tournament, and the criticism has quickly turned personal.

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Grady, the 1990 USPGA champion, was a one-time close friend of Norman, but the 64-year-old didn’t mince his words when discussing his recent controversies.

“From someone who has known Greg for 50 years, Greg is only about Greg,” Grady posted to social media.

“He has been trying to take down the tour for 30 years.

“The admiration I had for him for what he has achieved and what he did for Australian golf is gone.

“For him to try and trivialise what the greats before him did to grow and create what the PGA Tour is today is an absolute disgrace.

“You should hang your head in shame, Shark. I went to the memorial service of Jack Newton yesterday and was surrounded by true professional golfers who believe in loyalty and history. GFY Shark.”

Wayne Grady pulling no punches here! @eamonlynch 😳 pic.twitter.com/1DYPfI3mfv

— Guy Stacey (@GuyStacey1) May 14, 2022

Last week, Norman made global headlines after batting away concerns over Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying “we’ve all made mistakes” in a desperate attempt to defend his new money-spinning golf tour.

“This whole thing about Saudi Arabia and Khashoggi and human rights, talk about it, but also talk about the good that the country is doing in changing its culture,” he said.

“Look, we’ve all made mistakes and you just want to learn by those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.”

The comments understandably sparked international outrage.

“Greg Norman’s remarks that the Saudi government’s brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi and its attempted cover-up were a ‘mistake’ are wrong and seriously misguided,” Felix Jakens, Amnesty International UK’s head of campaigns, said.

“Far from trying to ‘move on’, the Saudi authorities have attempted to sweep their crimes under the carpet, avoiding justice and accountability at every turn.

“The regime’s human rights record is an abomination — from its murder of Khashoggi to recent mass executions and the situation for LGBTI+ people, which continues to be dire.

“The LIV Golf Invitational Series is yet one more event in a series of sportswashing exercises that the Saudi authorities are using to clean its blood-soaked image.”

Greg Norman, CEO of Liv Golf Investments. Photo by Luke Walker/WME IMG/WME IMG via Getty Images

Meanwhile, reigning champion Phil Mickelson withdrew from the PGA Championship after

describing the Saudi financial backers of the LIV series as “scary” with a “horrible record on human rights”.

“They’re scary mother (expletive) to get involved with,” he said.

“We know they killed (Washington Post reporter Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay. Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it? Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”

Mickelson apologised for the remarks and announced he was taking some “desperately needed time away” from golf.

The LIV Golf series, which opens in London next month, has eight scheduled events this year, four at US venues — but no names of players have been revealed.

The US PGA Tour said earlier this week it had refused all requests by tour members to play in the LIV London event, which will be played opposite the US PGA’s Canadian Open.