Rory McIlroy, Greg Norman Were Good Until the LIV Golf Boss Said Rory Was 'Brainwashed'

The World No. 1 has since called for Norman's ouster in order for peace between LIV and the PGA Tour; in an interview McIlroy also detailed how his relationship with Sergio Garcia soured.

Rory McIlroy said in an interview he believed a rift with Hall of Fame golfer Greg Norman had been mollified until the Australian who now heads the LIV Golf League accused him of being “brainwashed" by the PGA Tour.

McIlroy, along with Tiger Woods, have called for Norman’s ouster by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf for there to be any chance at peace between the two organizations.

He explained his differences with Norman in the second of a three-part interview that ran in Sunday’s Independent in Ireland.

McIlroy, who won the FedEx Cup and the DP World Tour’s Race to Dubai this year, took pokes at Norman at various times: after winning the Canadian Open in June, surpassing the Norman’s PGA Tour victory total of 20; when he went to No. 1 in the world in October, saying he wanted to hold that spot for 332 weeks, one more week than Norman; and again last month in Dubai, when he called for Norman’s removal.

He said that there could be no talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf until “there is an adult in the room.’’

McIlroy said in the Independent interview that the problems with Norman began in early 2020, when there were rumblings of a rival golf league called PGL. McIlroy made it clear he would not be joining. He explained that Arnold Palmer had been a stern voice in 1994 and pushed back against a World Golf Tour proposed by Norman, which was later abandoned.

“He wasn’t happy, and we had a pretty testy back-and-forth and he was very condescending," McIlroy said of Norman. “’Maybe one day you’ll understand and all this (stuff)."

Earlier this year, McIlroy watched a documentary done by ESPN in which Norman was featured. The Aussie had gone back to Augusta National to relive the painful collapse at the 1996 Masters, where he held a six-stroke 54-hole lead but lost to Nick Faldo; Norman never won the Masters.

McIlroy said he was struck by what happened and sent Norman a message that included, “Hopefully, it reminds everyone of what a great golfer you were."

After the 2011 Masters, Norman had sent McIlroy a text consoling him on his final round, where he held a four-shot 54-hole lead by shot.

“He was great,” McIlroy said. “So I said to him, ‘Watching it reminded me of how you reached out to me in 2011, and I just want to say that I’ll always appreciate it. It meant a lot. I know our opinion on the game of golf right now is very different, but I just wanted you to know that and wish you all the best.’

“So, a bit of an olive branch, and he came back to me straightaway: ‘I really think golf can be a force for good around the world. ... I know our opinions are not aligned but I’m just trying to create more opportunities for every golfer around the world.’

“Fine. Really nice,” McIlroy said. “Then, a couple of weeks later, he does an interview with The Washington Post and says I’ve been ‘brainwashed by the PGA Tour.’

“We’ve had this really nice back-and-forth and he says that about me.”

Norman told Today’s Golfer earlier this week that he “doesn’t care what McIlroy and Woods say." He added: “I’m not going anywhere. I don’t care what anybody says. I’m not going anywhere. I am so proud of the position I am in and maybe, maybe, it’s my leadership that has them scared. Maybe."

LIV Golf completed its eight-tournament initial season in October and has announced four of 14 events for its 2023 league season. In the coming weeks, it is expected to announce the full schedule, as well as team rosters, some of which will likely see some new defections from the PGA Tour.

One of the first defectors was 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia, a long-time European Tour Ryder Cup star and a good friend of McIlroy’s. The players were in each other’s weddings.

But McIlroy said their relationship has been tarnished. He said he learned Garcia was going to LIV during the Wells Fargo Championship in May. And following the first LIV event in June, McIlroy commented that players who joined were taking the easy way out.

McIlroy said in the Independent interview that he received a text from Garcia during the U.S. Open “basically telling me to shut up about LIV, blah, blah, blah, blah."

“I was pretty offended and sent him back a couple of daggers and that was it," McIlroy said.