Greg Norman
GolfBy Sean Keeley on

If you thought Phil Mickelson’s rationalization for wanting to play in a Saudi government-backed golf league even though it’s understood and widely reported that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the murder of a journalist, wait till you get a load of Greg Norman.

Mickelson previously found himself in hot water after saying that he was okay with getting involved with the backers of the LIV Golf series because even though they are “scary motherf**ckers” whom “we know… killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights” and that “they execute people over there for being gay,” it was okay because “this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”

After saying that, he was condemned in many corners of the golf world and has been taking time off from the PGA. He’s expected to return for next week’s PGA Championship but the tour’s recent decision to disallow any members to play in LIV events could cause him to have to choose.

Greg Norman, who is CEO of LIV Golf, has been very outspoken against the PGA as he’s tried to attract their top stars to come to play with them instead. He’s also working overtime to justify working for the Saudi government. In a recent interview, Norman discussed the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and decided to try and hand-wave it away.

Norman, the frontman for the series, said: “Everybody has owned up to it, right? It has been spoken about, from what I’ve read, going on what you guys reported. Take ownership, no matter what it is. Look, we’ve all made mistakes and you just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.”

A UN special rapporteur and the CIA have claimed that Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince and PIF chairman, sanctioned the killing. Bin Salman has denied the allegation but said that he took “full responsibility” as a leader of his country.

‘Get over it, it was just a mistake.’ That’s essentially what Norman is going with. For a government-sanctioned murder. The audacity is off the charts.

As you would imagine, the reactions to this are…something.

Good luck to Norman in his quest to find sympathetic backers and fans for his golf league. He is going to need it.

[AA]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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