Greg Norman is in the limelight due to his involvement with the LIV Golf Invitational Series. Notably, the two-time major championship winner was also making headlines because of his decision to play at the 150th British Open at St. Andrews. The Shark recently spoke about R&A’s reply to his request for the same.
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Greg Norman responds to R&A’s disapproval
The 67-year-old professional in April showed keen interest in playing at the 150th Open. Not to mention, Greg Norman has won the major championship tournament twice in his long and illustrious career. Now, he is trying to play at the event through a special exemption. However, Norman is the prominent architect in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, the PGA Tour’s rival league, which kicks off in June at the Centurion Club.
But hoping to play his first event in 10 years and his first major championship event since the 2009 Open, Norman was in for a disappointment. The R&A was quick to reply and made it clear that they won’t be adding any such exemption for this year’s edition of the major championship. As a result, the Australian professional will have to qualify for the British Open at the home of golf.
Read more: ‘Created Negative Momentum’: Greg Norman Reveals the Consequences of Recent Phil Mickelson Saga
A champion should be under 60 years, or he should have won the championship in the last 10 years. As a result, Norman is not eligible for automatic qualification. Notably, Norman even wrote a letter to the R&A asking for a special exemption, but the governing body added salt to his wounds and said they had received his letter but would not change their stance. A spokesperson from the R&A spoke to the Australian Golf Digest. He said, “We have replied to him. There is no change to our position.”
Norman spoke to the magazine on Thursday, expressing his disappointment. He said, “I’m disappointed with their decision, particularly given it is the 150th Open. I have been a staunch proponent of the R&A since 1977 and a proud Champion Golfer of the Year – twice.”
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This means the former World No. 1 will have to play in the Open qualifier to make it to the 150th Open. However, Norman has no intentions of doing so and said the same to the Australian Golf Digest. But only time will tell whether he will play at the championship event.
Who is the defending champion at the 2022 Open?
Collin Morikawa is the defending champion of the major championship event. He will defend his title at the home of golf in St. Andrews, which will host the 150th British Open. The American professional won the event last year with an overall score of 15-under-par, with a comfortable two-shot advantage. He carded a final round of four-under-par, 66 to finish on the top of the leaderboard on Sunday.
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His final round included three birdies on the opening nine holes. As a result, Collin moved out in three-under-par, 32. He made one more birdie and eight pars on the back nine to register a bogey-free final round at the Open Championship. Will he be able to win back-to-back at the major championship tournament? We’ll have to wait to find out.
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