Who doesn’t love a good head-to-head playoff in golf?
The 2008 U.S. Open between Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate, the 2012 Masters with Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen squaring off, and now in 2025, Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy (and Woods) once again trading blows.
The war of words between former LIV Golf CEO Norman and PGA Tour superstar McIlroy has raged on since the inception of the new Saudi-backed tour. And though it looked as though it would fall to the wayside after Norman’s departure from the top job with LIV, that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Norman, in an interview with Australian Golf Digest, published Tuesday, spoke about his feuds with McIlroy and Woods, saying that he’d love to start a discourse about LIV and give them the facts.
“I would love to sit down and talk to them about it, no question about it,” Norman said in the interview. “Because I’m not a judgmental person, and you only learn the facts and truth when you hear the other side of it.
“But, yes, would I like to sit down with them? Sure, absolutely. And you know what? I’d win the debate.”
Earlier this month, Norman was replaced by Scott O’Neil for LIV’s top job, with McIlroy saying that it’s “probably a good move.”
Since its inaugural event in June of 2022, LIV Golf has changed the landscape of golf, with top players from the PGA Tour switching sides after being offered much larger salaries.
The sport has been split down the middle, with the biggest names on the PGA Tour speaking out against the inception of the new organization. McIlroy, in particular, has been outspoken, blaming Norman for the rift and saying the former CEO “should exit stage left.”
Norman hit back at the PGA Tour stars, saying in the interview that the players that remained on the tour wouldn’t be making the money they are right now without LIV, specifically citing the PIP (Player Impact Program) that he believes Woods and McIlroy have specifically benefitted from.
When asked about the newest addition to the golf calendar, the TGL, Norman said that he has yet to tune into any of the matches, in part because of his feuds with McIlroy and Woods.
“I haven’t watched a bit of it because there’s a couple of players who’ve been very vocal against me,” he said. “So I’m not going to say anything positive or negative about it. All I can say is: The more golf gets exposure in different ways, the better off it is.”