The two remarks Greg Norman admits he truly regrets making

Norman floated the idea of a global tour to players back in 1994, but it never took off. Arnold Palmer left the meeting early, and that was pretty much the end of it before anything really started.

Norman didn’t let that stop him, though. LIV Golf had plenty of money behind it, but having Norman as the face of the project made a big difference.

Over his career, he’s made his share of headlines for things he’s said. But in a 2007 interview with Golf Digest, Norman mentioned there were just two comments he wished he could take back.

“Just like I think a halftime, or a timeout, might be nice in golf,” he said. “I probably shouldn’t have talked about the ‘$40 million I can fall back on’ after the Masters defeat [in 1996]. People who knew me knew how to take it, but most people don’t know me.”

The other one goes even further back. “Then there was a remark I made about some British players and their motivation. I regret saying that.” In his 1983 autobiography My Story, Norman wrote: “So many talented golfers on the British tour have not got the drive … needed to go on and win when victory is in sight,” though he did exclude Faldo and Sandy Lyle from that criticism.

Greg Norman’s reflections on his career of near misses

Norman will be seen as a hero to many, especially in Australia, where he inspired a lot of people to take up the game.

But there’s no denying that his career could have been even greater. Norman had the talent to become one of the most successful golfers ever.

He lost four majors in playoffs, and his collapse at the 1996 Masters remains one of golf’s most talked-about moments. Sir Nick Faldo came from six shots behind heading into the final round to take the green jacket.

Reflecting on that period in the same interview, Norman admitted that not winning at Augusta was a significant regret.

“People say I’m very resilient, and I am. If I’d have won all those tournaments that I could’ve won or should’ve won — Bob Tway beating me from the bunker, Larry Mize chipping in, Nick Faldo coming from behind at the Masters — the only thing that would have changed is my trophy case,” he said.

“Would I have liked to win all those tournaments? Of course because I’m a competitor. Nothing would have satisfied me more in golf than winning the Masters.”

It’s hard to say how history will remember him. Like Phil Mickelson, Norman’s reputation took a hit after his involvement with LIV Golf.

And some of his comments over time haven’t exactly helped rebuild that image with those who felt let down by his choices.