Greg Norman shared that he approached the Japanese star, Hideki Matsuyama, after his triumph at the Riviera Country Club. In an exclusive interview with Australian Golf Digest, the LIV Golf CEO revealed that he reached out to him in an attempt to get him on board. Matsuyama won his ninth PGA title at the Genesis Invitational after shooting a nine-under in the final round and landing at a final score that was three strokes ahead of Will Zalatoris and Luke List.
The victory was a much-needed retrieval from his trophy drought in the past two years. The golfer last won at the 2022 Sony Open before the latest signature event victory on the PGA Tour. For the past two years, Matsuyama has been one of the most linked names with the rival league and most recently, Norman revealed that they tried to lure the golfer.
Greg Norman tried to entice Hideki Matsuyama into the enemy clan
The LIV Golf CEO said that he felt no regret in admitting that the PGA Tour star’s performance compelled him to lure the golfer to join the league. He said:
“We’ve been trying to get Hideki Matsuyama (to sign with LIV Golf). I don’t mind admitting that. When Hideki won (The Genesis Invitational) in LA, what’s the first thing I did? I said, ‘Congratulations, Hideki. I’m proud of you, mate.'”
The topic of Hideki Matsuyama came up as Greg Norman started discussing LIV Golf’s former biggest critic, Rory McIlroy. But, as per recent updates, the Northern Irishman has softened his stance on the Saudi-backed league. Even Norman has become more lenient towards McIlroy and added that he wished to see him win the Masters so that the golfer can complete his grand slam.
“When Rory missed out on the (2011) Masters, when he hit that wayward tee shot on 10, I sent him a message of support afterwards because I felt his pain, and he responded.” Added to that, Greg Norman continued, “And if Rory wins this year’s Masters, I’ll say congratulations on achieving the grand slam, right? That’s sport and that’s sportsmanship, and that’s the humility of the game. That’s me. That’s how I would do it.”
Rory McIlroy’s change in perception became more relevant, with him claiming to allow LIV golfers to return to the PGA without penalty. His ex-associate even said that this might indicate the Northern Irishman’s intentions of moving to LIV Golf. But after Rahm, will the world’s No. 2 defect as well? A lot is to be answered this year.
