Rory McIlroy says Greg Norman did a disservice to LIV’s Saudi backers in propaganda war

A deal to end golf’s war could be closer than ever and as it nears Rory McIlroy has taken down Greg Norman for his part in stretching it out.

Rory McIlroy has taken a huge swipe at Greg Norman, declaring the Aussie legend did a “disservice” to golf as the boss of the LIV tour, as leading PGA Tour players prepare to meet Saudi PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to map out their plan to unify the game.

One of the staunchest critics of LIV Golf when it first started poaching the best players in the game, including Australian Cam Smith, McIlroy has softened his stance since the PIF, which funds Norman’s breakaway tour, signed a deal with the PGA Tour that could end the game’s civil war.

That deal is still being brokered by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who revealed before The Players Championship in Florida that he had met with Al-Rumayyan in January and said the tour’s six player directors would follow suit this week.

McIlroy said that meeting was a long time coming and the PIF’s interest in supporting golf worldwide had been skewed by the propaganda war played out by Norman and other LIV officials and players.

“It should have happened months ago, so I am glad that it’s happening,” McIlroy said after his final round 72 at The Players Championship.

“Hopefully, that progresses conversations and gets us closer to a solution.

“I’ve said this before, I have spent time with Yasir, and the people that have represented him in LIV have done him a disservice – so (Greg) Norman and those guys.

Rory McIlroy is no fan of Greg Norman. Picture: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

“I actually think there’s a really big disconnect between PIF and LIV – you got PIF over here, and LIV are sort of over here doing their own thing.

“So the closer that we can get to Yasir, PIF and hopefully finalise that investment, that will be a really good thing.

“They’re a sovereign wealth fund. They want to park money for decades and not worry about it.

“They want to invest in smart and secure businesses, and the PGA Tour is definitely one of those, especially if they’re looking to invest in sport in some way.”

The path back to the PGA Tour for LIV players remains a point of contention, but McIlroy wasn’t sure there would be movement in the short term, should a deal be finalised, predicting LIV may live on.

“It’s going to require patience. People have contracts at LIV up until 2028, 2029,” he said.

“I don’t know if they’re going to see that all the way out, but I definitely see LIV playing in its current form for the next couple years while everything gets figured out.

“(It’s not) an overnight solution, but if we can get the investment in, then at least we can start working towards a compromise.”

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