Greg Norman Not Invited to Celebration of Champions at St. Andrews

R&A believed that Norman, a two-time British Open champion, would be a distraction to the activities of the 150th Open.

ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — The Celebration of Champions event featuring past British Open champions and other prominent golfers scheduled for Monday at the Old Course will be missing one notable former winner – Greg Norman.

The R&A declined to invite the two-time Open champion because it believed that Norman, who is the CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf, would be an undue distraction.

“In response to enquiries regarding The R&A Celebration of Champions field and the Champions’ Dinner, we can confirm that we contacted Greg Norman to advise him that we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion,” said the R&A in a statement.

“The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the Championship and its heritage. Unfortunately, we do not believe that would be the case if Greg were to attend. We hope that when circumstances allow Greg will be able to attend again in future.”

Norman, a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, won the British Open in 1986 and 1993.