The Fort Worth Press - 'We've all made mistakes' Greg Norman says of Saudi journalist's murder

USD -
AED 3.67298
AFN 67.384996
ALL 90.930513
AMD 386.175669
ANG 1.798582
AOA 911.49704
ARS 987.764796
AUD 1.520288
AWG 1.8
AZN 1.696955
BAM 1.807328
BBD 2.014989
BDT 119.253338
BGN 1.80481
BHD 0.376977
BIF 2900.548912
BMD 1
BND 1.322749
BOB 6.895532
BRL 5.762597
BSD 0.99793
BTN 83.886707
BWP 13.395803
BYN 3.265906
BYR 19600
BZD 2.01157
CAD 1.39255
CDF 2910.000154
CHF 0.86748
CLF 0.034741
CLP 958.597109
CNY 7.1227
CNH 7.119295
COP 4362.01
CRC 512.311083
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 101.894377
CZK 23.446801
DJF 177.71268
DKK 6.89063
DOP 60.103407
DZD 133.516994
EGP 48.737904
ERN 15
ETB 119.252592
EUR 0.923535
FJD 2.280598
FKP 0.765169
GBP 0.770975
GEL 2.730049
GGP 0.765169
GHS 16.216791
GIP 0.765169
GMD 69.510995
GNF 8607.019424
GTQ 7.714273
GYD 208.788061
HKD 7.771398
HNL 25.174192
HRK 6.88903
HTG 131.517179
HUF 376.946015
IDR 15658.85
ILS 3.712875
IMP 0.765169
INR 84.0917
IQD 1307.316983
IRR 42104.999989
ISK 137.15044
JEP 0.765169
JMD 157.879417
JOD 0.709304
JPY 153.00603
KES 128.999956
KGS 85.801853
KHR 4056.776388
KMF 455.449632
KPW 899.999774
KRW 1379.264996
KWD 0.30657
KYD 0.831685
KZT 489.206572
LAK 21877.743381
LBP 89415.792635
LKR 293.064732
LRD 191.612838
LSL 17.675809
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.817306
MAD 9.845031
MDL 17.88838
MGA 4613.124116
MKD 56.926531
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3398.000028
MOP 7.985954
MRU 39.458485
MUR 46.110014
MVR 15.360218
MWK 1730.476006
MXN 20.14388
MYR 4.37901
MZN 63.909949
NAD 17.675809
NGN 1641.570371
NIO 36.723529
NOK 10.958145
NPR 134.220156
NZD 1.670945
OMR 0.384997
PAB 0.997921
PEN 3.756261
PGK 3.99671
PHP 58.228038
PKR 277.18023
PLN 4.009161
PYG 7944.443418
QAR 3.638497
RON 4.59426
RSD 108.085005
RUB 97.018184
RWF 1357.199292
SAR 3.755738
SBD 8.333542
SCR 13.606272
SDG 601.491881
SEK 10.670155
SGD 1.323685
SHP 0.765169
SLE 22.700818
SLL 20969.496802
SOS 570.343435
SRD 34.328008
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.731772
SYP 2512.530268
SZL 17.680625
THB 33.770499
TJS 10.628101
TMT 3.5
TND 3.091161
TOP 2.342098
TRY 34.291785
TTD 6.763388
TWD 31.984997
TZS 2720.000316
UAH 41.276464
UGX 3657.533614
UYU 41.528439
UZS 12758.859677
VEF 3622552.534434
VES 42.245336
VND 25295
VUV 118.722039
WST 2.801184
XAF 606.158083
XAG 0.029645
XAU 0.000367
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.750095
XOF 606.166485
XPF 110.206533
YER 250.325026
ZAR 17.68735
ZMK 9001.201112
ZMW 26.570499
ZWL 321.999592
  • CMSC

    -0.0200

    24.55

    -0.08%

  • BCE

    -0.1250

    32.335

    -0.39%

  • CMSD

    0.0150

    24.855

    +0.06%

  • SCS

    0.0550

    12.265

    +0.45%

  • BCC

    4.7950

    136.435

    +3.51%

  • RBGPF

    -2.0000

    61

    -3.28%

  • RIO

    -0.4800

    66.1

    -0.73%

  • RYCEF

    0.0400

    7.25

    +0.55%

  • NGG

    -0.1000

    65.02

    -0.15%

  • JRI

    0.0260

    13.006

    +0.2%

  • GSK

    -1.1450

    37.025

    -3.09%

  • VOD

    0.1200

    9.4

    +1.28%

  • RELX

    -0.8100

    47.1

    -1.72%

  • BP

    0.0800

    29.44

    +0.27%

  • BTI

    -0.0300

    34.43

    -0.09%

  • AZN

    -2.0700

    73.15

    -2.83%

'We've all made mistakes' Greg Norman says of Saudi journalist's murder
'We've all made mistakes' Greg Norman says of Saudi journalist's murder / Photo: © AFP

'We've all made mistakes' Greg Norman says of Saudi journalist's murder

Greg Norman batted away concerns over Saudi Arabia's rights record and the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by saying "we've all made mistakes" as he defended his new money-spinning golf tour.

Text size:

The Australian former world number one is heading the new multimillion-dollar LIV Golf Invitational Series which is heavily backed by Saudi financing and has sparked accusations of "sportswashing".

A United States intelligence assessment found that the Gulf kingdom's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, "approved" an operation to capture or kill critic and columnist Khashoggi.

Saudi officials deny this and say that his murder and dismemberment in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate in 2018 -- which sparked worldwide outrage -- was a "rogue" operation.

"This whole thing about Saudi Arabia and Khashoggi and human rights, talk about it, but also talk about the good that the country is doing in changing its culture," Norman said Wednesday when grilled by reporters about Saudi involvement in the series, which starts in England next month.

"Look, we've all made mistakes and you just want to learn by those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward," the 67-year-old added.

The LIV series is threatening to tear golf apart.

Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson and former world number one Lee Westwood are among the high-profile players who want to be released from established tours to play the opening tournament near London.

The 54-hole event at Centurion Club in St Albans boasts an eye-watering prize fund of $25 million.

But the US PGA Tour is refusing to give its players permission to take part and those who go ahead and play in the June 9-11 event would be deemed to be in violation of Tour regulations, opening the door to suspension or exclusion.

Britain's Daily Telegraph reported that officials on the DP World Tour, formerly the European Tour, had followed their US counterparts by taking a similar stance.

Mickelson has not played since triggering uproar in February following the publication of remarks made last year concerning the new series.

The 51-year-old described the Saudi financial backers of the series as "scary" with a "horrible record on human rights", but said he was willing to deal with them in order to gain leverage to "reshape" the PGA Tour.

Mickelson subsequently apologised for the comments and announced he was taking some "desperately needed time away" from golf.

- 'Anti-golfer' -

Norman, chief executive of LIV Golf Investments, accused the PGA Tour of "perpetuating its illegal monopoly of what should be a free and open market".

"The Tour's action is anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive," he said after the PGA Tour refused to give permission to its golfers to play.

"But no matter what obstacles the Tour puts in our way we will not be stopped. We will continue to give players options that promote the great sport of golf globally.

"No tour owns the game of golf and we feel we're on the right side of history."

The LIV series will offer purses of $25 million per tournament -- making each leg more lucrative than the richest event on the PGA Tour, and about double the prize money of each of golf's four majors.

The first year will feature eight tournaments across three continents, with players competing as individuals and in teams.

Norman said that he had offered unwavering backing to players who had expressed an interest in playing in the LIV series, including paying their fines.

"If you so choose to want, as an independent contractor, to come and play with us, we've got your back," he said.

"I'll break it down to three very simple things -- we'll defend, we'll reimburse and we'll represent."

Asked if his legal team had injunctions in place to protect players in the face of any bans, including potentially from major championships, Norman said: "Yes."

"We're going to back up the players, we're going to be there for them, we're prepared for that, whatever that is. We're ready to go. We don't want to go, but we're ready to go."

Norman said on Tuesday that an additional $2 billion in funding had been lined up for a 10-event series in 2023 and a league beginning in 2024.

A.Williams--TFWP