The Centurion Club in St Albans will host the first event of the lucrative and controversial Saudi-backed golf Super League from June 9-11, with four events scheduled in the USA before two more tournaments in Asia
Thursday 17 March 2022 21:39, UK
Greg Norman admits it may take time to attract star names to the new Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series and insists Phil Mickelson will always be welcome to compete in the events.
The former world No 1 announced on Wednesday that the Centurion Club in Hertfordshire will host the first of eight 54-hole tournaments, played across the three continents during a five-month period, with prize purses bigger than anything currently available in the professional game.
Norman will be sending a letter to all of the world's top 250 to invite them to feature in the events, offering a draft-style team element as well as the individual competition, although the tournament organisers are currently not sure on who will feature in the inaugural series.
"We will know, in a very short period of time, once the invitations go out, who will be coming on board and who will want to play," Norman told BBC Five Live.
"Just think how magnificent it would be if there's some kid that's around 200 in the world who is a journeyman, maybe just being able to make ends meet. The whole opportunity about growing the game of golf is giving players a chance and new opportunity.
"I hope, somewhere down the line in year one, we have somebody that's a no-name who comes up and wins himself $3m, $5m or $8m and everybody sits back and thinks 'oh wow'. His life has changed, his partner's life has changed, his kids' life has changed.
"That's what the beauty of golf is all about. Giving them the opportunity to grow and develop and that will happen. The great thing about it is that all the great players will be looking in there and go 'oh my gosh, that guy just won $8m, I know I can beat him, I want to be there'.
"It's a slow process and it's a process we completely understand will take time, but we have to start somewhere. We're a start-up and today is day two of our journey."
The majority of the world's top players have distanced themselves from any potential breakaway circuit, with Rory McIlroy saying last month the potential league was "dead in the water" after Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau released statements to commit to the PGA Tour.
Members of the PGA Tour have to be granted special releases to complete on alternate tours, with multiple reports suggesting that sanctions and bans would be given to those who commit to the Saudi-funded series.
"There's no question that obstacles have been put in our path," Norman added. "The PGA Tour, no question, came out swinging and they put a giant red wood tree across the road for us.
"We're a start-up, we're here for the long term, we understand the process to get going. We've got an incredible model to allow that to get going and I think we clearly showed that with our launch.
"What are the PGA Tour and DP World Tour are afraid of about LIV coming in and offering a new opportunity for independent contractors to play? We're 100 per cent additive to the world of golf and the players can play both tours.
"We're not asking playing them to make a choice to play one or the other, they can play both. We can one of ours and the rest over there, or they can play seven or eight of ours and the rest over there."
Phil Mickelson hasn't played since apologising last month for his "reckless" comments regarding the proposed Saudi-backed breakaway league, where he accused the PGA Tour of "obnoxious greed" and acting like a "dictatorship".
Mickelson describing the Saudi government were "scary "motherf*****s" and that he was only using the new tour as leverage to more money from the PGA Tour, although Norman would still be happy to see six-time major champion - or any player - tee it up in his tournaments.
"We're not saying you have to play here and have play there, we're just giving them [players] opportunities to have a choice about where to play," Norman said.
"If they want to play then the door is wide open and the door is also wide open for Phil Mickelson. I spoke to him last night and had a good, long conversation. There's not a person on this planet that hasn't said something that they wish they could take back.
You've got to be able to allow the individuals and the players to have choice and we'll give them the choice to do that. If they don't want to come, so be it. I'm not stopping them and I'm not saying they're going to be banned for life if you don't do it - it's their choice."
