Greg Norman has been informed he’s welcome to test the “resale marketplace” if he needs to wait the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon this summer time.
Two-time champion Norman, the executive government of the Saudi-backed rise up LIV Excursion, created a stir on the Masters previous this month when he grew to become up as a paying punter at the Wednesday and the Thursday, opting for to observe Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler’s crew.
Even though negotiations are ongoing relating to a merger between the PGA Excursion and the Saudi Public Funding Fund – which bankrolls LIV – and tensions have obviously thawed during the last 12 months, it used to be pointed of Norman to go into the grounds as a member of the general public, and not using a get admission to to the internal sanctums of the clubhouse the place the sport’s powerbrokers yearly collect.
The Australian had up to now described it as “petty” of Augusta Nationwide Golfing Membership to not ship him such a lot as a grounds move in spite of his lengthy status dating with the match, which incorporates 3 runners-up finishes.
As a two-time Open champion – at Turnberry in 1986 and at Royal St George’s in 1983 – Norman would possibly have much more of an expectation of being invited to the oldest golfing match on this planet. Then again, he does now not seem to have won a call for participation.
At an Open media day the previous day, Mike Woodcock, director of company communications for the R&A, stated he used to be now not conscious about one going out to the Australian. Nor used to be he conscious about Norman having purchased a price ticket. “I don’t suppose there’s a G. Norman [on the list],” Woodcock stated. “I believe they’d have let me know if there used to be. So I’m now not mindful that he’s purchased a price ticket thus far.
“Clearly there are tickets nonetheless to be had at the resale platform or hospitality. He’s very welcome to appear there.”
In a single appreciate, a minimum of, that if truth be told represents growth. Two years in the past, on the peak of golfing’s fractious civil warfare with the Saudi rise up sequence, the R&A actively banned Norman from taking part within the match’s a hundred and fiftieth celebrations and its Champions Dinner at St Andrews, announcing it sought after “to be sure that the focal point stays on celebrating the Championship and its heritage”.
Norman reacted with feature disdain. “I’d have concept the R&A would have stayed above all of it given their place in global golfing,” he informed Golfing Digest on the time. “It’s petty, as all I’ve carried out is instructed and develop the sport of golfing globally, off and on the golfing route, for greater than 4 a long time.”
LIV has been requested whether or not Norman has if truth be told sought a call for participation this 12 months. It’s but to reply. Norman will probably be in Singapore later this week for the following LIV match.
The R&A is anticipating 250,000 spectators at this summer time’s Open, the largest ever attendance in Scotland out of doors of St Andrews and an build up of 77,000 at the final time the Open used to be staged at Troon in 2016 when Henrik Stenson, now of LIV, emerged victorious at the Ayrshire hyperlinks.