AUGUSTA, Ga. – Greg Norman dressed for golf.
On Friday, at the second round of the 88th Masters, Norman wore a white golf shirt with his Shark logo, black slacks, his signature straw hat, or as one patron put it, “the Crocodile Dundee deal,” and golf shoes with softspikes. All that was missing was a glove, a yardage book, and, of course, an invitation as a past champion, something he never managed to achieve despite several near misses.
Instead, the CEO of LIV Golf was out walking in the gallery of Bryson DeChambeau, the 2020 U.S. Open champion, or as another patron described him, “the captain of the Crushers,” and lending his support. He was joined by two younger women and a heavyset man in all black, who may have been providing security.
For those in the gallery, it was like seeing a ghost. Norman, 69, who first played in the Masters in 1981 and last attempted to win a Green Jacket in 2009, showed up this week with a ticket he bought on the open market, according to his son, Greg Jr., in a social media post. Norman said he was here to support the 13 golfers he’d paid handsomely to defect to the upstart LIV Golf backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Yes. All this is true.
My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players.
It was an amazing experience;… pic.twitter.com/Yt5Uk9r7nG
— Greg Norman Jr (@GregJrNorman) April 11, 2024
On Thursday, he even stole away to watch Rory McIlroy, who is decidedly not in his camp, play a few holes.
On Friday, I was out watching DeChambeau, the first-round leader, on the second hole when I did a double take as I walked by the Shark. A patron nearby said to his friend that he wished he had a camera. “I loved him growing up, pre-Tiger, he was it,” he said. And now? “He’s with that LIV Tour. Not my thing,” he said.
As Norman watched DeChambeau putt at the third hole from behind the ropes off of the fourth tee with a young woman wearing his Shark logo on her cap, a patron wondered, “Is that his wife or daughter?” The correct answer was neither.
Greg Norman, CEO of the LIV Golf, walks down the fourth hole during the second round of the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Norman has become persona non grata within much of the golf world. One patron – at least – felt his pain: “They should give him a pass,” he said. “Don’t treat him like some pariah.”
Nick Piastowski of Golf.com picked up the scent of Norman at the practice putting green and had followed him from the get-go. At one point, Norman tapped Piastowski on the back and called him, “my reporter friend,” and allowed Piastowski to ask a few questions. What did he learn? Norman said this was the first time he’d ever eaten a green-wrapped Masters sandwich. The kind? Ham and cheese.
Norman clapped hands with 2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland on his way to the fifth tee. Yet another patron recognized Norman, pointing him out to his friend but his wife said she was far more impressed with seeing country singer Kenny Chesney and NFL QB Josh Allen. Another understanding patron admitted to his friend that “if you put a check that big in front of me, I’d sell my soul to the Saudis too.” His friend shook his head in agreement. “So much stinking money. How do you say no?”
That’s something Norman has counted on as he’s picked off six past Masters champions. He shook hands with a few fathers and sons who approached him but mostly kept to himself. Somewhere near the crossing from the fifth hole to the sixth tee, Norman disappeared, like a ghost, still haunting the Masters and the world of professional golf.