Greg Norman: LIV Golf chief executive not invited to Open celebrations
- Published
Norman is a two-time Open winner
The R&A has not invited Greg Norman to compete in the Celebration of Champions or attend the Champions' Dinner before the 150th Open at St Andrews.
The R&A, which hosts the Open, suggested Norman's involvement in the controversial LIV Golf series would be an unwelcome distraction.
Former champions take part in the four-hole challenge on Monday, but LIV Golf chief executive Norman will not attend.
The Open winner of 1986 and 1993 called the decision not to invite him "petty".
"I would have thought the R&A would have stayed above it all given their position in world golf," the Australian said.
"[It's] petty, as all I have done is promote and grow the game of golf globally, on and off the golf course, for more than four decades."
In a statement, the R&A said: "We can confirm that we contacted Greg Norman to advise him that we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion.
"The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the Championship and its heritage.
"Unfortunately, we do not believe that would be the case if Greg were to attend. We hope that when circumstances allow Greg will be able to attend again in future."
The 67-year-old has become a controversial figure in golf since he headed-up the Saudi-backed $250m (£200m) eight-event LIV Golf series, which has divided opinion in the game and enticed several of the world's best players - including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson - to leave the PGA Tour.
Many people have criticised the circuit because of Saudi Arabia's human rights record.
The R&A said last month that LIV players who qualified would be allowed to compete at St Andrews, where the Open starts on Thursday.
LIV Golf has so far staged two of its planned eight events in 2022, with 2017 Open champion Jordan Spieth describing rumours that he was considering joining the breakaway circuit as "categorically untrue" on Friday evening.
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