LIV Golf founder Greg Norman is DENIED invite to The Open but is ‘welcome to check’ resale sites if he wants a ticket to the major at Troon

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman will have to get his own ticket if he plans to attend The Open this year after he was brutally rejected by tournament organisers.

The Australian lifted the Claret Jug twice during his playing days – marking his two major wins – but since spearheading the Saudi-funded breakout that has torn the golfing world in two, he has found himself on the fringes.

And the 69-year-old’s golfing exile appears to have continued ahead of this year’s major at Royal Troon.

While Norman isn’t outright banned from attending The Open, unlike in 2022, the welcome mat won’t exactly be rolled out for him either.

As merger negotiations continue between the PGA Tour and LIV’s backers, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Norman has disappeared from the invitation list.

The Australian lifted the Claret Jug twice during his playing days (pictured in 1993)

Brian Harman is pictured after his win at last year’s Open at Royal Liverpool

“I don’t think there is a G. Norman [on the list]R&A corporate communications director Mike Woodcock told reporters.

‘I think they would have let me know if that was the case. So I don’t know that he has bought a ticket yet.

‘There are of course still tickets available on the resale platform or in the catering industry. He is very welcome to come and have a look there.’

It wouldn’t be the first time The Shark has had to resort to resale sites this year, after he was spotted outside the ropes at The Masters earlier this month.

Norman was denied a ticket to Augusta National after “going through the proper professional channels” and purchased a ticket from a secondary site, according to his son.

Despite his struggles to reach Augusta, Norman said he received a relatively positive reception at the hallowed course.

He even went so far as to claim that there were “hundreds of people, even security people, who stopped me and said, ‘Hey, what you’re doing is great.’ “That says to me that what we have and the platform fits within the ecosystem, and it’s good for the game of golf.”

&A corporate communications director Mike Woodcock said Norman could buy his own ticket

The 69-year-old also decided to buy his own ticket for The Masters earlier this month

He was told to stay away from the 150th Open and championship dinner at St Andrews in 2022 due to his position as LIV’s rebels-in-chief.

The R&A, which organizes the tournament, said at the time that the decision was made ‘to ensure the focus remains on celebrating the championship and its heritage’.

Norman was furious at his suspension, telling Golf Digest: ‘I would have thought the R&A would have stayed above it given their position in the golf world.

“It’s insignificant because all I’ve done is promote and grow the game of golf worldwide, both on and off the golf course, for more than four decades.”