“Lots of fun. This isn’t your grandfather’s golf tournament.” Arlo White, LIV Golf’s play-by-play commentator, was quoted as saying this by News 2. On Saturday, Greg Norman showed what the veteran sports commentator meant.

Bryson DeChambeau was on the tee at the par-3 15th. The 136-yard pin is the party hole at the Grove. Surrounded by a grandstand that was jumping up and down for the reigning U.S. Champion, Bryson DeChambeau was checking his yardage book and talking to his caddie before hitting the tee shot. Suddenly, the 30-year-old noticed someone was standing at the pin. 

It was Greg Norman. The CEO of LIV Golf ran off to the pin to tend the flag for the 30-year-old. DeChambeau, unfortunately, couldn’t see who it was. Mistaking him for a volunteer, he threw his hand in confusion. Not that he wanted him to move away, but Greg Norman did anyway. 

Bryson DeChambeau drove the green and went on a high-fiving rally with the fans. But should Greg Norman have done that? DeChambeau was chasing the leader; it was a high-octane moment after he birdied the previous two holes. Was Norman’s strange act an unnecessary distraction? Some believe it was.

Greg Norman finds himself on the wrong side of the Internet

Bryson DeChambeau in the post-round press conference, admitted he didn’t know it was Greg Norman. “I would have actually let him be there had I known it was Greg. I thought it was like a volunteer, and I couldn’t see. It was all dark. I just didn’t know it was him.” The 30-year-old also clarified that he had no objection to it, even if it was a volunteer. He was a bit confused, that’s all. And, the moment he thought of hitting it anyway, Norman walked off. 

Netizens are not willing to take the matter so lightly. Although DeChambeau affirmed they were focused on golf with a little bit of fun here and there, they believe it can only happen at LIV because no one is serious about Golf there. 

“The type of stuff you can do during exhibition/practice rounds,” one of them wrote. Another user sarcastically wrote, “Thank you for proving my point that LIV is simply exhibition golf.” A third quipped Norman should change the LIV tagline from ‘Golf, but louder’ to “LIV – Golf but unserious.”

The general rule is that no one should tend the flag unless the player has requested it. Moreover, it’s either your caddie or the playing mate who stands by the pin. Bryson DeChambeau was okay with it, however. He asserted that they follow the R&A and USGA guidelines, but it was “just relaxing a little bit and making it a fun environment.”

Again, not everyone was satisfied. One of them wrote, “Greg’s never-ending quest for relevance is sad.” Even some LIV Golf fans lambasted the Great White Shark. In a lengthy tweet, one of them wrote, “Seriously, what does Norman handing the flag to DeChambeau affect the tournament? What is his addition? Don’t you see that LIV loses its seriousness, with this (sic) nonsense situations?” 

Against the rule or not, Greg Norman has once again ruffled a few feathers. The Great White Shark was seen interacting with fans and taking feedback on how to improve the experience. But it is not clear who or what prompted him to run to the greens. But one thing is evident: It was an impromptu stunt. One that wasn’t executed well.