Greg Norman has gone on the attack against the PGA Tour amid claims it would deny players permission to compete in the opening event of his LIV Golf Invitational Series.
According to a Golfweek report, the PGA sent out notices on Tuesday to players who had sought permission to play in the $25 million opening event of the rival league on June 9th in London, stating anyone who went against demands and opted to play in the tournament would be subject to disciplinary action.
The PGA has in the past threatened to suspend or expel players from the tour that pledge their allegiance to the rival tour, which is backed by the Saudia Arabian government.
The PGA has in the past had a precedent of granting players limited releases for 'conflicting' overseas events in the interests of the game globally.
However, in this case, the tour has highlighted that it sees the LIV Golf Invitational Series as a genuine threat by denying its players the right to play in the inaugural event of the rebel league, which coincidentally is scheduled a week before the US Open.
In a statement on Wednesday (AEST), Norman, who is the chief executive and commissioner of LIV Golf, accused the PGA Tour of "perpetuating its illegal monopoly of what should be a free and open market".
MORE: LIV Golf Tour - everything you need to know about the Greg Norman-run super league
The Australian golfing legend then declared LIV Golf "would not be stopped" in its quest to better promote the game on a global scale.
“Sadly, the PGA Tour seems intent on denying professional golfers their right to play golf unless it’s exclusively in a PGA Tour tournament,” he said.
“This is particularly disappointing in light of the Tour’s non-profit status, where its mission is purportedly ‘to promote the common interests of professional tournament golfers’.
“Instead, the Tour is intent on perpetuating its illegal monopoly of what should be a free and open market.
“The Tour’s action is anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive. But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped. We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally.”
After the Tour denied releases to players wanting to play in the first LIV event in London, Greg Norman has responded with this statement: pic.twitter.com/9XFeZ8DCH8
— Ryan Lavner (@RyanLavnerGC) May 11, 2022
Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia are the highest-profile players who are believed to have committed to joining the LIV Golf tour.
It's claimed 15 of the world's top 100 ranked players had registered for the first event at Centurion Golf Club, with several from the DP World Tour also expressing interest.
The LIV Golf Invitational Series was officially launched last month as an eight-event series to be played across three different continents. Events will be played over 54 holes, with smaller fields and huge prize pools of $25 million USD each.
May 17 is the cut-off for players to register for the second LIV tour event on June 1st, which will be the first tournament played in the United States at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland, Oregon.
