Golf great Greg Norman is accusing the PGA of violating players’ freedom by threatening to ban them if PGA members decide to play for the new Saudi-backed Super Golf League.
“Simply put, you can’t ban players from playing golf. Players have the right and the freedom to play where we like,” Norman said in a statement to the PGA on the heels of the league’s threats to ban players who decide to support the league that Norman is helping to organize.
“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?” Norman added, according to ESPN.
“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?” Norman added.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 20: Greg Norman of Australia plays his shot from the fourth tee during the final round of the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Orlando on December 20, 2020, in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Norman accused the PGA of bullying players after PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan issued a proclamation saying that players would be suspended from the PGA and could be banned for life if they tried to participate in Norman’s tournaments.
On Wednesday, Monahan said there is “zero complacency” among PGA officials for anyone who would join the new Saudi-backed league.
“I told the players we’re moving on, and anyone on the fence needs to make a decision,” Monahan said, according to the Associated Press.
“All this talk about the league and about money has been distracting to our players, our partners and most importantly our fans,” Monahan insisted. “We’re focused on legacy, not leverage. You saw it last week with Joaquin Niemann winning, receiving the trophy from a legend (tournament host Tiger Woods) who inspired him to take up the game.”
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 13: PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan speaks to the media during a practice round for The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 13, 2019, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Norman disagreed with this.
“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,” he exclaimed. “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.
“Commissioner — this is just the beginning. It certainly is not the end,” Norman warned.
Norman is not the only well-known player to take issue with how the PGA operates. Also, this week, top golfer Phil Mickelson has accused the PGA of being run like a “dictatorship,” but soon after that apologized for “using words that “do not reflect my true feelings or intentions.”
Mickelson also faced a backlash from several sponsors who dropped him as a client after the comments.
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