The Open LIVE: Tiger Woods in Greg Norman's brutal withdrawal as Rory McIlroy agrees to argue

Greg Norman was unceremoniously banned by the R&A from attending the annual Past Champions celebrations this week and Tiger Woods called it a "good thing" given his involvement with LIV Golf.

Norman sparked controversy last year for his promotion from the league backed by Saudi Arabia and his attempt to steal from the PGA Tour pros.

Woods was also offered around £1bn to move to LIV Golf, but Norman revealed he snubbed the eye-watering sum.

The 15-time major champion has largely avoided questions about LIV Golf due to his lack of tournament golf this year.

But speaking at his pre-tournament press conference on Tuesday, Woods backed the R&A's decision to ban Norman from this week's festivities.

He said, "Greg has done things that I don't think are in the best interest of our game, and we're probably going back to the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I think that's the good thing."