Greg Norman Under Fire For Downplaying Murder Of Journalist

Greg Norman seemed to brush off the the murder of journal Jamal Khashoggi at a press conference Wednesday, putting him under even more fire for his Saudi-funded golf league that’s set to contend with the PAG Tour.

Khashoggi, a former columnist for Washington Post, was killed in Turkey in 2018 — and the murder was pinned on Saudi agents in Istanbul.

Norman was asked for his thoughts on Khashoggi’s murder, and Saudi Arabia’s involvement, during a press conference for LIV Golf. The first LIV event is scheduled for next month at the Centurion Golf Club in London.

“From what I heard and what you guys reported, just take ownership of what it is. 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,” he told reporters.

🗣️ "I do not answer to Saudi Arabia, I do not answer to MBS."

Chief Executive of LIV Golf Greg Norman says that LIV Golf Investments is independent and will not answer to the Saudi government or Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. pic.twitter.com/H7fKGBTuT4

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 10, 2022

Norman later chose to sidestep further questions about Saudi Arabia by saying he wasn’t going to get into politics.

“I know the mission I have as CEO of LIV Golf, and that’s how we can grow the game globally,” said Norman, 67. “I’m not going to get into the quagmire of whatever happens in someone else’s world. I heard about it and I just kept moving on.”

Norman said he sees a “cultural change” taking place in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s reprehensible what happened with [Jamal] Khashoggi. Own up to it, talk about it,” he said. “But you go back to Saudi Arabia, they’re making a cultural change from within to change that. They don’t want to have that stigma sitting over there.”