Greg Norman denied entry to Masters 2024 via professional channels, had to pay to get tickets

Greg Norman was not one of the official LIV Golf representatives invited to the Masters 2024. However, the breakaway circuit CEO and Commissioner did not want to miss any of the event and sought his own way to be at Augusta National.

"The Shark" was spotted at Augusta National Golf Club during the final practice session ahead of the Masters 2024. Greg Norman Jr., son of the double Major champion, confirmed the news on his personal X account (formerly Twitter) by posting the following text:

"Yes. All this is true. My dad paid for a ticket on the secondary market to attend the Masters as a patron. He was denied one directly after going through the proper professional channels. He had to be there anyway to support the LIV players."

Subsequently, Greg Norman himself gave statements to The Washington Post and said the following:

"I’m here because we have 13 players who have won 10 Masters between them. So I’m just here to support them and do the best I can to show them."

Greg Norman was spotted at various locations around the Augusta National course, showing his support for various LIV players. Of particular note was the time he spent with fellow Australian and PGA Tour rising star, Min Woo Lee.

Earlier in the week of the Masters, the Telegraph reported that at least one official representative of LIV Golf had been officially invited to the event, but that Greg Norman was not among the guests. It was also said that a visit by Yasir Al-Rumayyan is possible (although not confirmed).

Greg Norman's career at The Masters

Greg Norman played the Masters Tournament 23 times with three second-place finishes and six other top-10s as his best results. His three runner-up finishes came in 1986, 1987 and 1996, and in all of them, he actually came close to the title.

In 1986, Norman was in contention throughout the event and was even leading the leaderboard after 54 holes, but saw Jack Nicklaus recover a four-hole deficit to defeat him by one stroke. It was Nicklaus' sixth Green Jacket.

In 1987, it was Norman who came from behind, as, after being out of the top 10 for the first 36 holes, he posted a score of 66 on moving day to place T3. Norman played the fourth round for a score of 72 and tied for first place with Seve Ballesteros and Larry Mize. Ultimately, Mize won in a 2-hole playoff.

In 1996, Norman's performance was also tremendously dramatic. "The Shark" led the leaderboard for the first three rounds and, after 54 holes, had a six-shot lead over Nick Faldo.

At the seventh hole of the fourth round, Norman was still four strokes ahead of Faldo, but surprisingly, he lost five strokes over the next five holes. Then came the notorious tee shot into the water on the 16th hole, which ended his hopes of recovering. He eventually lost by four strokes to Faldo.