'Grow Up' - Greg Norman Slams OWGR Board Who 'Hate' LIV Golf

The ongoing saga of Greg Norman and the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) has been eventful, to say the least, this week, with the LIV Golf CEO stating that those on the OWGR board who "hate" LIV need to "grow up." 

Prior to the Saudi-backed sixth event in Bangkok, it appeared that LIV Golf had earned World Ranking points after it entered into an alliance with the MENA Tour (Middle East and North Africa). In an announcement, it was revealed that all LIV Golf players are considered members of the MENA Tour, which will in turn co-sanction the event at Stonehill - a new course in Bangkok in Pathum Thani province.

However, although the MENA Tour said LIV would "immediately qualify" for Official World Golf Ranking points as part of the deal, OWGR has said that "insufficient notice" was given, saying that "only after the review is complete will a decision be made on awarding points to the MENA Tour's new "Limited Field Tournaments" [the LIV Golf Invitational Series]."

The decision has not gone down well with LIV Golf's CEO, Greg Norman, with the Australian stating that "it doesn't make sense" and that "just because you have a negative viewpoint and you're one of the voting members of an independent organization, that you hate LIV and you vote against it... Grow up."

Speaking to World Is One News, India's first global news network, the 67-year-old said: "It's not a setback. It's a setback for them (OWGR) because quite honestly, my players should have it (ranking points). There are 22 tours that have world ranking points and there's only one that's equal to, or superior to, what LIV is. Only one.

"So, it doesn't make sense from a Major's perspective. It doesn't make sense from a broadcaster's perspective. You're paying and investing for your strength of the field and degrading the strength of the field by not allowing LIV players to get OWGR points is not doing the game of golf any good.

"Rise above it all, it's good for the players, it's good for the game of golf, it's good for production, it's good for corporations, it's good for OEMs, it's good for fans, it's good for everybody. Just because you have a negative viewpoint and you're one of the voting members of an independent organization, that you hate LIV and you vote against it... Grow up."

World Ranking points are crucial for those LIV Golfers who are looking to qualify for the big events like Major championships. Currently, the Saudi-backed series doesn't possess OWGR points, with notable players slipping down the World Rankings board.

Back in September, Norman commented on the World Rankings scenario, stating: “It makes OWGR look obsolete if they don’t [accept LIV]. If they wake up at the end of the year and Dustin Johnson is 102 in the world, is that not a laughing stock to the OWGR? There’s two ways they can go: they can either fold, or they include LIV into OWGR.”