LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman Calls Jack Nicklaus a ‘Hypocrite’ as Tournament Approaches

One of the biggest stories in golf this year will come to a head later this week with the first LIV Golf Invitational Series’ first event in the London area teeing off Thursday. LIV CEO Greg Norman will no doubt be in the news this week, taking the mantle from golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who hosted the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament over the weekend.

Norman isn’t wasting any time, calling Nicklaus a hypocrite when it comes to his recent public comments about the LIV series.

Greg Norman Calls Jack Nicklaus a ‘Hypocrite’ for Backtracking on LIV Golf https://t.co/b9OaDMJ78g via @WashingtonPost

— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) June 6, 2022

Starting at the beginning, Nicklaus said last month that he turned down a $100 million offer to be the figurehead chief of the LIV series—a job that seemingly eventually went to Norman.

The “Golden Bear” expounded on those comments prior to the Memorial starting last week, saying:

“I don’t care what kind of money they would have thrown at me. My allegiance has been to the PGA Tour. I grew up on the PGA Tour. I helped found the PGA Tour as it is today. My allegiance is there and it’s going to stay there.”

But Norman, the “Shark,” bit back at Nicklaus in comments to the Washington Post:

“Jack’s a hypocrite. When I heard those comments, I’m thinking, ‘Jack must have a short memory… This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me.’ So you want the facts? You’ve got the facts.”

Dustin Johnson is among those participating in the 54-hole, team-focused event at the Centurion Golf Club in England this week, the first in the eight-event series. An estimated $4 million is earmarked for the winner, which is nearly double what Billy Horschel earned for winning the Memorial.

Cover Image Via Bunkered