Rory McIlroy reveals origin of beef with Greg Norman

Rory McIlroy has been one of the most consistent and persistent opponents to LIV Golf – and now he has revealed why. 

Speaking to the Irish Independent’s Paul Kimmage, the world No.1 explained the origin of his beef with LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman and explained the point at which he decided to become “a pain in his arse”.  

According to McIlroy, the rift between the two players began in February 2020 when the Irishman spoke out against another proposed breakaway golf tour, the Premier Golf League (PGL). 

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Detailing his opposition to PGL, McIlroy explained that he wanted to be on “the right side of history”, like Arnold Palmer had been in 1994 when he spoke out against the World Golf Tour that Norman had been plotting.  

“He wasn’t happy, and we had a pretty testy back-and-forth and he was very condescending, ‘Maybe one day you’ll understand,’ and all this shite,” said McIlroy. 

The four-time major champion added that he extended an olive branch earlier this year after watching an ESPN documentary about the Australian’s Masters meltdown in 1996. That resonated with McIlroy who suffered his own final round heartbreak at Augusta National in 2011.

He says there was a pleasant exchange of messages between the pair, which McIlroy insists ended when he read an interview Norman did with the Washington Post a few weeks later.

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“He said I’ve been ‘brainwashed by the PGA Tour’. I’m like, ‘For f**k sake!’ We’ve had this really nice back-and-forth and he says that about me.

“I thought, ‘You know what? I’m going to make it my business now to be as much of a pain in his arse as possible’. And that’s basically what I’ve done since.”

• You can read the full interview with McIlroy here (subscription required).