Australian great Greg Norman has raised the stakes in the open warfare engulfing world golf, accusing PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan of "bullying" players.
Australian legend Greg Norman has come out fighting in the latest round of global golf warfare, accusing PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan of "bullying", "intimidation" and "likely violation of the law".
The 'Great White Shark' has finally bared his teeth after a week when his planned Saudi-backed Super League looked to be on its last legs after a host of top players declared they were staying loyal to the US-based Tour.
That followed a players' meeting with Monahan in which the commissioner reiterated they would face life bans if they signed up for the new League being fronted by Norman in his role as CEO of LIV Golf Investments.
"Surely you jest. And surely, your lawyers at the PGA Tour must be holding their breath," wrote a clearly fired-up Norman, as he painted himself as a champion of players' rights in a strongly-worded open letter to Monahan on Thursday.
"As has been widely reported, you have threatened the players on the PGA Tour, all of whom are independent contractors, with lifetime bans if they decide to play golf in a league sponsored by anyone other than the Tour," wrote the former world No.1.
"For decades, I have fought for the rights of players to enjoy a career in which they are rewarded fully and properly for their efforts. They are one-in-a-million athletes.
"Yet for decades, the Tour has put its own financial ambitions ahead of the players, and every player on the tour knows it.
"The Tour is the Players Tour not your administration's Tour. Why do you call the crown jewel in all tournaments outside the Majors 'The Players Championship' and not 'The Administration's Championship?'
"But when you try to bluff and intimidate players by bullying and threatening them, you are guilty of going too far, being unfair, and you likely are in violation of the law.
"Simply put, you can't ban players from playing golf. Players have the right and the freedom to play where we like.
"I know for a fact that many PGA players were and still are interested in playing for a new league, in addition to playing for the Tour. What is wrong with that?
"What is wrong with allowing players to make their own decisions about where to play and how often to play? What is so wrong with player choice? Why do you feel so threatened that you would resort to such a desperate, unwise, and unenforceable threat?"
Norman made reference in his letter to a recent article by the former chief lawyer to the Federal Trade Commission that stated a "lifetime ban is never going to happen".
The 67-year-old Norman added: "Competition in all aspects of life, sport, and business is healthy and the players deserve to be well compensated, which is why so many players have expressed an interest in playing in a new league.
"But when you threaten to end players' careers and when you engage in unfair labour practices with your web of player restrictions, you demonstrate exactly why players are open minded about joining a league that treats players well, respects them, and compensates them according to their true worth.
"Commissioner - this is just the beginning. It certainly is not the end."
Norman's response has come swiftly after virtually all the leading players, led by world No.1 Jon Rahm, Open champion Collin Morikawa and the outspoken Northern Irish superstar Rory McIlroy, who said the planned breakaway was "dead in the water", threw their weight behind the PGA tour.
