Greg Norman takes strong stance on Tiger Woods, TGL

World Golf Hall of Famer and businessman Greg Norman told a Palm Beach audience that the growing amount of private investment in golf is good for the sport.

During an appearance March 25 at the Society of the Four Arts, Norman told moderator Steve Sands, a golf host and announcer for NBC Sports and the Golf Channel, that the sport was in “a great place” thanks to the influx of private equity.

“Private equity now has true value in the world of sport,” Norman said. “It’s happening all around the world. It’s happening in cricket, in Australia and in India. It’s happening in other places. I’m just so proud of the fact that that’s happened to golf, where billions of dollars are being moved into the game of golf because of private equity.”

Norman, known as “The Great White Shark” discussed golf, business, and philanthropy with Sands, who also took questions from the audience. Their wide-ranging discussion was part of the Esther B. O’Keeffe Speakers Series.

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Golf was a central topic throughout Norman’s talk. While highlighting the impact of private equity in the sport, he noted that Tomorrow’s Golf League (TGL), a tech-driven, team-based golf league founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in partnership with TMRW Sports, has flourished as a result.

The league, which is based at the SoFi Center at Palm Beach State College in Palm Beach Gardens, recently wrapped up its first season.

“The TGL is great,” Norman said. “Everybody asks me what I think of the TGL, and I say it’s fantastic. It’s more stuff, more golf, it’s more innovation. It’s taking things to a new level. It’s catering to a new market. It’s doing this, doing that. There’s no angst or animosity from my perspective. It’s just magnificent now people are seeing the value that golf can give them.”

Norman, whose departure from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf was announced in January, had previously offered little perspective on the upstart simulator golf league.

Later in the night, Norman weighed in on the debate between Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the greatest golfer of all time.

“Jack, by far. But you’ve got to put that in perspective. You look at the different eras that happened,” Norman said. “I always put Jack down there. Tiger’s extremely consistent, Tiger’s extremely good. There’s no question about it. But Jack has done more, and he is the consummate winner and he is the consummate loser.

“Jack will always instill value into the younger generation. I’ve seen it, I’ve experienced it and I’ve been involved with it, so that’s why I keep Jack up there. I don’t talk to Tiger. I don’t know. Maybe he’s different. I’ve spent a lot of time with Jack, so it’s going to be very hard for anybody to get me to bump him off the top of his pedestal.”