“Don’t begrudge the other players” – Greg Norman’s message to Rory McIlroy only days before he softened his stand on LIV Golf

In a significant development in the PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate, Rory McIlroy has suggested a truce between the two sides. The Irish golfer, who has been the PGA Tour's face in golf's civil war, said the faceoff was "ripping" the sport apart. A strong critic of LIV Golf and its players, McIlroy, noted that "everyone involved needs to sit down and work together" for a sensible solution.

McIlroy's call for a truce comes as a surprise after the comments he has made in the past. Having rallied his support for the PGA Tour, the Irishman had slammed LIV and its officials earlier. However, he seems to have softened his stance, and the reason remains unclear.

It is pertinent to note that LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman sent an open message to McIlroy last week asking him to reconsider his stance. One can only wonder if this helped the latter change his mind amid the golf civil war.

Greg Norman's message to Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy has voiced his opinion of LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. Not only did he criticize the Australian, but he also accused him of causing problems for the sport. Norman has reciprocated those feelings too. However, he seemed to be the logical one among the two as he called for McIlroy to reconsider his stance last week.

The Aussie, who has slammed anyone taking digs at people opposing LIV, said that McIlroy was acting one-sided. He listed out the Irishman's golf career so far and said he was hypocritical to accuse fellow golfers of joining LIV Golf. In an interview, Norman also asked McIlroy not to "begrudge other players" for making independent decisions.

Speaking to Piers Morgan about Rory McIlroy's continuous attacks on LIV golfers, Greg Norman said:

“Well, my message is, Rory, you’re an independent contractor. You have the right to make your decision. Remember, Rory started on the European tour. Then Rory decided to leave the European tour to go play where all the money is, where I went to play, to the PGA Tour.”

He added:

“Don’t begrudge the other players for making a decision, that is a rightful decision under their independent contractual rights, to go and do it. It’s just a shame that people have taken this stance, when you look back over a period of time, they’ve pretty much done the same thing themselves.”

McIlroy claims he doesn't hold grudge against LIV rebels

It is pertinent to note that Rory McIlroy is a member of the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. He has been specifically critical of players joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series. However, he had earlier claimed that he didn't hold a grudge against the players that joined the rebel league. But he had stated that the players who made the defections couldn't be allowed back into the American circuit.

McIlroy said in August:

“I don’t begrudge anyone for going over to play LIV or taking guaranteed money. If that’s your prerogative and what you want to do, totally fine. I think where the resentment comes from, from the membership of this tour, is the fact that they want to try to get their way back in here with no consequences, and anyone that’s read the PGA Tour handbook or abided by the rules and regulations, that would feel very unfair to them.”

This isn't the first time Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy took digs at each other over the golf debate. While the Irishman made a not-so-veiled shot at the Australian when he said he had one more PGA Tour win than the latter. Meanwhile, Norman has continually called McIlroy a hypocrite for demeaning his Saudi-backed league.

With Rory McIlroy softening his stance on LIV golfers, fans will now be eager to see if the two decide to find a middle ground despite their previous fights.