WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — Greg Norman did not act surprised when told the Department of Justice is investigating whether the PGA Tour engaged in anticompetitive behavior as it battles the LIV Golf Series.
Why would he be? He called it.
“That is a testament to their stupidity quite honestly,” Norman told the Palm Beach Post. “Instead of sitting down and taking a phone call from us and just say, ‘Hey, work this out. We can do it.’
“It’s such an easy fix it’s ridiculous.”
Norman, who lives in Palm Beach Gardens, is the CEO of the Saudi-backed LIV series. LIV’s headquarters are in West Palm Beach.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that players’ agents have been contacted by the DOJ’s antitrust division involving both the PGA Tour’s bylaws governing players’ participation in other golf events and the PGA Tour’s actions in recent months relating to LIV Golf.
Players who have jumped to LIV Golf have been suspended by the PGA Tour. The Tour, though, has not announced the length of the suspensions. That list includes Jupiter’s Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau.
“Has the PGA brought that on themselves or have we brought that on them?” Norman said. “They brought it on themselves. We haven’t done anything else other than putting together a business model and giving independent contractors a right to earn a living doing something else, as well as still being a member of the PGA Tour.
“The entire business model from the ground up was built to coexist within the ecosystem of golf, coexist within the majors, coexist with the DP World Tour, coexist with the PGA Tour, allowing the players to play here and play there.”
After the Tour’s decision to ban LIV players from playing in its events, Norman sent a letter to LIV players and agents accusing the Tour of monopolistic behavior. He wrote the Tour’s actions would “likely cause the federal government to investigate and punish the PGA Tour’s unlawful practices.”
“There is simply no recognized justification for banning independent contractor professional golfers for simply contracting to play professional golf,” he wrote.
A PGA Tour spokesperson confirmed to the Wall Street Journal the Tour was aware of the investigation.
Tom D’Angelo is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at tdangelo@pbpost.com.