It seems we weren’t the only ones who tuned into Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge press conference on Tuesday morning.
In an interview with the Spanish website Marca (later translated by Sports Illustrated), former Woods sparring partner and current LIV Golf competitor Sergio Garcia fired back at comments made by Woods that called for LIV CEO Greg Norman’s job. In the interview, Garcia suggested that perhaps the PGA Tour should be asking the same question of its own commissioner, Jay Monahan.
“They say that Greg Norman has to go, and Monahan has to stay or go?” Garcia said. “It’s very easy to say those on the other side have to go. And those on your side? There are also people who have done things wrong.”
Garcia threw his support behind Norman, the embattled LIV Golf commissioner who has seen his name appear in a growing number of rumors related to his job security.
“You have to look at everything,” Garcia said. “Greg Norman is our CEO and we support him. We all wish we could come to an agreement. There are people who could have done wrong in both places, but it seems that there are only bad guys on one side.”
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Garcia’s affinity for Norman has been well-documented in court proceedings brought forth by LIV’s pending lawsuit against the PGA Tour. In text messages submitted to the court, Garcia is shown calling Norman by the pet nickname “Sharky” — apparently in reference to Norman’s nickname, the “Great White Shark.” Norman was instrumental in recruiting Garcia to join the rival tour earlier this year.
Recently though, Norman’s status has come into question. Both Woods and Rory McIlroy have taken to publicly calling for Norman’s job, citing his animosity for the PGA Tour as a major contributing factor. According to both men, there is no path to peace between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour — as Norman has repeatedly called for — until Norman is no longer at the helm.
“Right now as it is, not right now, not with their leadership, not with Greg there and his animosity towards the Tour itself,” Woods said at his press conference Tuesday. “I don’t see that happening. As Rory said and I said it as well, I think Greg’s got to leave and then we can eventually, hopefully, have a stay between the two lawsuits and figure something out.”
Ultimately, Garcia says he agrees that the goal for both sides is long-term peace. But if that goal is ever to reach reality, Garcia says the Tour has to be willing to nudge on some of its own demands, as well.
“First everything has to be settled,” he said. “It’s not easy now that we’re involved in a legal process and also because everything we want is prohibited. If you’re sitting with someone who every time you propose something is a ‘no’ … in the end, how are you going to reach an agreement if only what they say is worth it? I don’t know how we will reach an agreement.”
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