Greg Norman, frontman for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, has accused the PGA Tour of working to destroy the new league. The former professional golfer said that efforts from the LIV to reach out and work things out with the PGA Tour had been refused, and instead, the PGA has been looking for ways to frustrate the LIV league.

Ever since the LIV Series announced their first event and had a few players join them, the PGA has viewed them as nothing but a threat to the current order. To stop players from joining the LIV Series, the PGA has announced sanctions, including suspending such players. But this has not stopped over two dozen players from moving to the new league, attracted by the large purse per event and the flexibility of the league’s schedule.

Speaking in an interview with The Australian newspaper, Norman explained that the LIV was designed to exist together with the other leagues and not be a threat or a competition to them, as he said that the LIV Series was not a breakaway league but something new and inclusive.

He said, “It was always an additive to all tours. This notion [that] we’re trying to destroy tours is not true. The PGA Tour is trying to destroy us, it’s as simple as that.” He also said that the LIV no longer intended to negotiate with the PGA as the period for that has since passed: “We have no interest in sitting down with them, to be honest with you, because our product is working.

“That’s why we are where we are today. We tried awfully hard — I know I did personally for the past year. When we knew we were never going to hear from them, we just decided to go.”

Norman also said that it was wrong for the PGA Tour to suspend players who wanted to play in another league, saying that players had freedom of choice and the PGA Tour was denying them that.

Leon Osamor