- Tour has banned golfers playing in Saudi-backed league
- Australian is serving as figurehead for breakaway competition
Greg Norman, the figurehead of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series, has defended the competition after widespread criticism from high-profile figures across the sport.
Golfers such as Norman, Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson who have chosen to join the breakaway series have received criticism due to the human rights abuses carried out by the Saudi regime. In the US, famed sportscaster Bob Costas offered a withering assessment of the LIV Series. “This is Saudi blood money,” he said last week. “We know all we need to know about the royal family and what they have done. It’s not just Khashoggi, it’s not just the ongoing oppression of women and gays, they’re directly or indirectly tied – according to US and British intelligence – to the 9/11 event.”
