Augusta National Confirms It Did Not Invite Greg Norman To The Masters; Why That's No Big Deal

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As is tradition, Augusta National Golf Club chairman Fred Ridley addressed the media at the Masters on Wednesday to speak about the club's future, the state of the game, and, of course, the year's first major championship.

Ridley was also asked about LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman, specifically as to why he wasn't on the grounds this week.

Norman told The Telegraph of London earlier in the week that he hadn't been invited to the 2023 Masters. He said the non-invite was "petty."

Ridley minced no words and explained exactly why the three-time Masters runner-up wasn't invited.

"We did not extend an invitation to Mr. Norman," Ridley said on Wednesday. "The primary issue and the driver there is that I want the focus this week to be on the Masters competition, on the great players that are participating, the greatest players in the world, which, by our decision in December, we ensured that we were going to honor and be consistent with our invitation criteria."

Ridley also went on to say that Norman has attended the Masters just twice over the last decade during his time as an analyst for Sirius XM Radio.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley are in attendance this week.

Greg Norman: Fans Should Want To See LIV Golfers Contend At Masters

Augusta National confirmed that it did not extend Greg Norman an invite to the Masters. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

While Norman not being invited to the Masters will be a 'story' this week because everything is a 'story' in this day and age, it's really no big deal at all - nor is it surprising - that Augusta did not extend him an invitation.

READ: GREG NORMAN IS RIGHT: GOLF FANS SHOULD WANT TO SEE LIV GOLFERS CONTEND AT THE MASTERS

Augusta National wants Masters week to be solely about the golf course and the 88 players teeing it up.

Norman being on the grounds this week would be a topic of discussion for around three minutes, but that would be three minutes of Augusta National being in the spotlight, which is the exact situation the club and tournament seek to avoid at all costs.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.