Saudi criticism: This weekend, LIV Golf is playing to sold-out crowds in Australia, and Greg Norman is a big reason why.
Norman is a national star in his home country of Australia, where he is chairman and CEO of LIV Golf. That’s why there’s such a buzz at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, with ticket sales and excitement that have been missing from LIV events in the United States.
Even in Norman’s home country, he can’t avoid being asked about his work with the Saudi-backed league. In the past few years, the Saudi government has been criticized for breaking a lot of people’s rights. Phil Mickelson, who left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, is well-known for calling the Saudi government a “scary ————.” He said this last year.
A reporter asked Norman if he had talked to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about the country’s record on human rights. When Norman told them he hadn’t, they asked him why.
“Because I’m the chairman and CEO of LIV Golf Investments, and that’s what I do. “I just think about golf,” Norman told The Guardian. “I’ve done a lot with golf, both as a player and as a designer of golf courses. I’ve built golf courses in places that aren’t very well off. I’ve built golf courses in countries that were once Communist.”
“Golf is a good thing. It goes everywhere with the right platform because it has the right message, from education to hospitality to jobs to tourism. Golf is a good thing everywhere you go.”
Premier of South Australia Peter Malinauskas agreed with Norman that LIV Golf should be seen as a separate body from Saudi Arabia’s abuses.
LIV is not a good example of what Saudi Arabia is like. LIV is a golf competition.” Malinauskas said (via The Guardian). “It’s shaking things up, which I think is good.”
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