LIV Golf's CEO Norman crashes Masters on tournament eve to support LIV players

The CEO of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit that launched in 2022 and has divided the sport, was attending the Masters as a ticketed patron, the Post reported.

"I'm here because we have 13 players that won 10 Masters between them, so I'm here just to support them, do the best I can to show them, 'Hey, you know, the boss is here rooting for you,'" Norman told the Post.

It marks the first time Norman, a two-times British Open winner who finished runner-up at Augusta National three times, has appeared at the Masters since 2021 when he served as a radio analyst.

Norman was not invited to the 2023 Masters as a guest over concerns he would be a distraction given tensions were already high as it marked the first time golfers from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf competed at Augusta National against each other.

Norman only fanned the flames in 2022 when he accused the club of pettiness and called on LIV players to gather en masse at the 18th hole and celebrate should a member of their group claim the coveted Green Jacket.

Later that year Norman was not invited to the celebrations at the 150th edition of the British Open as organisers feared his involvement with LIV Golf would tarnish the occasion.

Jon Rahm won last year's Masters and eight months later made a stunning move to join LIV Golf.