Greg Norman was expressly invited by the organizer R&A to the anniversary celebrations on the occasion of the 150th British Open, as the only one of the surviving British Open winners.

"It was a right decision," said Tiger Woods. "Greg has done things that are not in the best interest of golf."

Even if the 67-year-old Australian, who won the oldest major twice (1986 and 1993), did not travel to St. Andrews: he and the LIV golf series he led as CEO and financed with billions by Saudi Arabia were omnipresent before the first tee of the tournament.

This was reinforced by a report from the United States.

Accordingly, the US Department of Justice has launched an investigation into whether the PGA Tour violated competition law by excluding professionals who participated in the first two LIV tournaments.

Norman boldly commented on the news: "To be honest, this is proof of the stupidity (of the PGA Tour)."

In addition, the Official World Ranking Board issued a press release after a board meeting in St Andrews on Tuesday that LIV Golf had applied to be included in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

With PGA Tour and DP World Tour chiefs Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley also serving on the OWGR board, it is doubtful whether LIV will succeed.

In addition, according to the OWGR rules, a tournament series must run for a year before it can award world ranking points.

In addition, with the exception of the so-called access series (e.g. the German ProGolf Tour), 72 holes must be played - all conditions that LIV tournaments do not meet.

"Like playing on the Senior Tour"

Before the first tee on Thursday morning at 6.35 a.m. local time (7.35 a.m. CEST), there was no press conference in which the favorites were not asked about their relationship to the competing league.

Since the most prominent LIV professionals, the Americans Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau, are currently in a form crisis, they did not have to face the questions.

The biggest movers, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, made it clear once again that a change from the PGA Tour to the “Saudi tournaments” was out of the question for them.

Woods, whom Norman - as he said publicly - wanted to win for LIV Golf for a high nine-figure sum, almost a billion dollars, said: "You just get paid a lot of money up front and you play a few events and 54 holes.

They play to blaring music.

I just don't understand how you can play 54 holes in a tournament.

54 holes feels like playing on the senior tour.”

With the switch to competitive events, the pros took advantage of the position they were only in thanks to their play on the PGA or the DP World Tour.

Woods also doubted whether professionals who have already received many millions in entry fees are still working on their game.

Because in contrast to the traditional tournament series, where only the pros who survive the cut receive prize money, the Saudis even reward the very last, with $ 120,000 in the last two tournaments.

Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A, the organizer of the British Open, also made it clear on Wednesday that he doesn't believe in Norman's competitive league: "Professional golfers have the right to choose where they want to play and to accept the prize money, that is offered to them.

I have absolutely no objection to that.

I feel that the model we have seen in the last two LIV tournaments is not in the best long-term interest of the sport as a whole and is solely driven by money.

We believe it undermines the merit-based culture and spirit of open competition that makes golf so special.”

The 62-year-old Englishman, who, like the US Open, allowed all the professionals suspended by the PGA Tour to participate this year - Martin Kaymer from Düsseldorf is not qualified - ruled out refusing players from the "Saudi League" the right to start in the future .

However, he did confirm that The Open Championship could change its qualification rules.

At the beginning of the year, the R&A announced that the winner of the Asian Tour ranking list would no longer automatically be given the right to start this year.

The reason for this was not given.

However, this tournament series is now fully financed by Saudi Arabia.