LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman and PGA Tour loyalist Rory McIlroy exchange more barbs than well-wishes these days. But when it’s all said and done, whose career would you rather have?
RORY McILROY
BORN: Holywood, Northern Ireland
AGE: 33
NICKNAME: Rors
HIGHEST WORLD RANKING: 1 (106 weeks… so far)
MAJOR VICTORIES: 4 (2011 US Open, 2012 and 2014 PGA Championships, 2014 Open Championship)
WORLDWIDE WINS: 34
PGA TOUR CAREER EARNINGS: $US66,174,549
ESTIMATENED WORTH: $US170 million
PLAYING STYLE: Aggressive, fearless
STRENGTHS: Driving, public speaking, FedEx Cups
KRYPTONITE: Augusta National, Grand Slam talk
THEM’S FIGHTIN’ WORDS: “Yeah, this is a day I’ll remember for a long, long time… my 21st PGA Tour win… one more than someone else. That gave me a bit extra incentive today.” – after winning the 2022 Canadian Open
GREG NORMAN
BORN: Mount Isa, Queensland
AGE: 67
NICKNAME: The (Great White) Shark
HIGHEST WORLD RANKING: 1 (total: 331 weeks)
MAJOR VICTORIES: 2 (1986 and 1993 Open Championships)
WORLDWIDE WINS: 91
PGA TOUR CAREER EARNINGS: $US14,484,458
ESTIMATED NET WORTH: $US400 million
PLAYING STYLE: Aggressive, fearless
STRENGTHS: Driving, dress sense, business nous
KRYPTONITE: Augusta National, Nick Faldo
THEM’S FIGHTIN’ WORDS: “I take it as a compliment that Rory wanted to beat my 20 PGA Tour wins. His next goal should be to win more than 91 tournaments globally or to maintain No.1 in the world for more than 331 weeks.” – via an August 2022 interview with Australian Golf Digest
Aussies are a loyal bunch. When we surveyed readers across our social media channels recently about whose career they’d prefer to have – Greg Norman’s or Rory McIlroy’s – there was a clear winner.
Some 75 percent of the respondents, in their hundreds, favoured the Shark, despite his lead role in the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour, and despite Rory’s superior Major tally. The inspiration behind the poll was the escalating war of words between the two former world No.1s. After winning the 2022 Canadian Open, McIlroy sniped: “My 21st PGA Tour win… one more than someone else.”
Whack!
A few weeks later, Norman returned serve in this very magazine: “[Rory’s] next goal should be to win more than 91 tournaments globally or to maintain No.1 in the world for more than 331 weeks.”
Check and mate.
When delving further into their careers, however, Norman and McIlroy share many similarities. Both have enjoyed dominant periods in the game. Both rank among the greatest drivers of the golf ball ever. Both have more money than they could ever spend. Both genuinely feel what they are actively doing for the sport of golf (Greg challenging the PGA Tour, Rory defending it) is right. And both don’t appear to like each other. It’s a figurative match-up made in heaven – and one that triggered some interesting responses from the people.
“If you are marking them by bank accounts, Greg [wins] easy,” writes reader Gary Daly. “If you mark them by weeks at world No.1, still Greg. If you mark them by the revitalisation of Australian golf, still Greg. So, to answer the question: Greg.”
Fellow AGD Facebook fan Torran Scott concurs: “I like the guy trying to expand golf internationally and not whinging about what one competition is doing to another.”
But Rory had his backers, too.
“Four Majors beats two Majors anytime,” said reader Ryan Hammond.
Some took a more political route.
“Norman is friends with Trump, so Rory,” added Richard Howard.
But we’ll leave it with Facebook user ‘Luis CF’ to wrap things up: “I prefer to take the best of each (legend) rather than label one better than the other one. Sadly, for all of us, we shall never see them playing against each other.”
Very diplomatic, Luis. But let’s take the opportunity while it’s there to call upon Norman and McIlroy for a one-off showdown, with persimmons and balatas at Augusta National. It’d be the stuff of dreams – and nightmares.
