Greg Norman Letter to Players States PGA Tour's Threat of Lifetime Bans is Not Enforceable

As part of the letter to agents and players, Norman attached a two-page document titled, 'PGA Tour Cannot Ban Players Who Join LIV Golf.'

Greg Norman quietly fired a salvo against the PGA Tour on Friday, which has just come to light on Wednesday.

Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf Investments, sent a letter to players and agents disputing the ability of the PGA Tour to, in his words, impose a “lifetime ban” on players if they decide to play on another Tour. The statement argues that players have the freedom by law to choose how they make a living and that the PGA Tour’s threats are impermissible under competition and other laws.

“We will not stay silent in the face of unjust and punitive threats that seek to prevent your clients from pursuing their rightful career opportunities and LIV Golf’s right to compete," Norman wrote. “We will not permit the Tour — as the long-standing monopolist over professional golf — to stifle free and fair competition to the detriment of professional golfers and the game itself."

While not a surprise, Norman stated that LIV Golf has retained noted antitrust lawyers to advise them on issues regarding banning players.

And to assist with building a case of anti-competitive behavior, the letter encourages agents and players to ask the PGA Tour to provide them with these threats in writing, along with written opinions of its outside counsel declaring the bans are legal and enforceable.

As part of the letter to agents and players, Norman attached a two-page document, titled, "PGA Tour Cannot Ban Players Who Join LIV Golf." The bullet-pointed document argues why the PGA Tour cannot ban its players and how such actions would be harmful to both the PGA Tour and ultimately its players.

RELATED: Greg Norman Fires Back at PGA Tour With Letter To Commissioner, Accusing Jay Monahan of 'Bullying' And 'Threatening'

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, in a mandatory player meeting on Tuesday afternoon at the Honda Classic, reiterated the Tour's position that any player that decides to go to the proposed league would be “disbarred” from the PGA Tour, according to a player in attendance.

Monahan told Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press on Wednesday that he informed the players (at the Tuesday meeting) that the Tour is moving on and anyone on the fence needs to make a decision.

He also emphasized anew that players who sign up for a Saudi golf league will lose their PGA Tour membership and should not expect to get it back.

Last week at the Genesis Invitational, world No. 1 Jon Rahm, two-time Saudi International winner Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau said they were not leaving the PGA Tour for the proposed Saudi league.

In total, nine of the top 12 players in the world have publicly thrown its support behind the PGA Tour, leaving Norman and the Saudi-backed league to look to lesser ranked players.