Woods backs The Open to ban Norman
"Greg has done disadvantages for golf. And we are about to return to the most historical and traditional place in this subject. Therefore, I believe it is the right action," Woods said on July 12 , after the training session on the Old Stadium of St Andrews Club - The Open 2022.
Woods wanted to remind R&A not to invite Norman when the award was considered a golf root in the 150th period, starting on July 14. R&A open The Open from 1860, built the oldest Major in the world.
Norman, Australian, nicknamed "great white shark", twice won The Open, 1986 and 1993, in 20 PGA Tour championships and 14 European Tour titles. He entered the temple of the world golf fame in 2001, accumulated 331 weeks to hold the number one world, only after Tiger Woods (683 weeks) in time.
With that trophy, Norman, 67 years old, should have been "VIP tickets" in the world's oldest Major. But R&A does not give the privilege to Norman because of his presence, it may cause a relief to distract in professional activities and honor the heritage, through the announcement on 9. Specialized in the main round for former championships, and thereby, blocking Norman's door.
The two moves of R&A occurred when Norman was the founder and CEO of Liv Golf Investments in which the shareholder was the Saudi Public Investment Fund. This business is in charge of developing Invitational Series - a famous system of prizes is a threat to the right to dominate the international golf of PGA Tour with allies DP World Tour (the new name of European Tour) and help Saudi bad human rights - gender equality.
Not only did Woods agree with the R&A, but he also criticized Norman for opening a new arena, the Liv Golf Invitational Tournament, with most of the funding coming from Saudi Arabia. "I know Greg did similar projects in the early '90s and failed. Now he is still trying to pursue them. But I don't understand what these actions are good for golf."
In addition, "Super Tiger" commented that golfers who left the PGA Tour to the Invitational Series were "crossing the bridge" groups who turned their backs on the field, which brought many promotion opportunities to their careers. This is the first time Woods has directly commented on the individuals involved in the Invitational series.
