When did Greg Norman retire as a golfer?

Former Australian golfer Greg Norman is widely regarded as one of the legends of golf. With an illustrious legacy of 89 professional titles to his name, including 20 PGA Tour events and two majors, he was nicknamed 'The Shark' after his play at the 1981 Masters.

Greg Norman pulled the curtains on a phenomenal career in 2009. He had been struggling with injuries for a long while. He dealt with lingering back and hip issues that, according to him, had arisen due to wear and tear.

However, Greg Norman believed that his back injuries could have been resolved if he had been introduced to golf fitness early in his career. He also underwent knee surgery twice, one in October 2005 and the next in February 2006.

Around his retirement, his focus was also getting pulled toward business. This interest came to fruition as he developed multiple ventures after his retirement.

He has dabbled his hands in several fields, such as golf course design, real estate, eyewear, wakeboarding complexes, and steak products, and emerged as a successful businessman.

Now, Greg Norman is the CEO and Commissioner of the controversial LIV Golf series.

---

"I think Greg [Norman] needs to go" - Rory McIlroy on Greg Norman

Rory McIlroy (Image via Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Ahead of the DP World Tour last week, Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy said that Greg Norman needs to step down from his position as CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf. He believed that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf could come together only if Norman stepped down.

McIlroy has been very vocal in supporting the PGA Tour amidst its war with the LIV Golf series. Most recently, Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy have found themselves on the opposite side of the river.

McIlroy said:

"There's a few things that I would like to see on the LIV side that needs to happen. I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. He's made his mark, but I think now is the right time to sort of say, 'Look, you've got this thing off the ground, but no one is going to talk unless there's an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences."

Ever since the introduction of the LIV Golf league, several notable players have defected from the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed league. The PGA Tour later banned them from participating in their events. Overall, it's been a tough year for the golf world.

McIlroy spoke about it:

"It's obviously been a very contentious year in golf. And I've said this: The best thing in golf is to have all the best players playing together, and what's happening right now, that's not happening. So I fear for the game when that's going on."

McIlroy pointed out the messy situation that it has become. And it does not allow a normal conversation between both parties of the civil war.

"It's contentious because there's lawsuits going on and people suing people; it's very, very messy. So again, if all that stuff can be sorted out one way or the other, then you can get to the stage where there's forgiveness and people can have dialogue and come to some sort of common ground or compromise. But while all this is happening, it's very hard to do that."

Indeed, everyone is hoping for the fields to feature all the top names to compete against one another once again.