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Sports

2-time British Open champion Greg Norman now an unwanted guest at St. Andrews

NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — Greg Norman once talked about playing in the British Open next week. Now he doesn’t even get to attend the dinner at St. Andrews for past champions.Norman, who won the Open at Turnberry in 1986 and at Royal St. George’s in 1993, would have been eligible for the four-hole “Celebration of Champions” exhibition that takes place only at St. Andrews, along with the Champions’ Dinner.AdvertisementThe R&A said Saturday it contacted Norman to tell him “we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion.”“The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the championship and its heritage,” the R&A said. “Unfortunately, we do not believe that would be the case if Greg were to attend.”AdvertisementNorman has been viewed as a disruptor in golf as CEO of the Saudi-funded LIV Golf series that is paying as much as $150 million to sign former major champions like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau and staging 54-hole events with a shotgun start that pay $25 million in prize money.The PGA Tour has suspended players who have signed up for the rebel league, and the European tour is fining its players 100,000 pounds ($120,000) for each LIV event they play.Norman described the decision as “petty” to Australian Golf Digest.“I’m disappointed. I would have thought the R&A would have stayed above it all given their position in world golf,” he said. “(It’s) petty, as all I have done is promote and grow the game of golf globally, on and off the golf course, for more than four decades.”Norman already rubbed the R&A the wrong way with an interview earlier this year with Australia-based News Corp. in which he said he was filling out his entry form for the 150th Open and “I think I can still get in.”It led the R&A to issue a statement that said, “We have no plans for any additional exemptions.”Norman is 67 and past Open champions are exempt only until they are 60. His final year of eligibility was in 2015 at St. Andrews. He chose not to play, saying he hadn’t practiced enough and he didn’t feel right about taking a spot in the field from a younger player.The R&A did not deny exemptions for eligible players, following the decision of the USGA for the U.S. Open because of the open nature of their majors. There are 23 players in the field at St. Andrews who played in the last LIV Golf event.AdvertisementIt was not clear if Norman intended to be at St. Andrews. The R&A said it was responding to inquiries in releasing a statement that ended, “We hope that when circumstances allow Greg will be able to attend again in the future.”

Sports

Chicago Blackhawks hire Derek King and Kevin Dean as assistant coaches for Luke Richardson’s staff

Derek King will be sticking around the Chicago Blackhawks after all.The Hawks hired the former interim head coach as an assistant coach — along with and former Boston Bruins assistant coach Kevin Dean — to first-time bench boss Luke Richardson.AdvertisementGoaltending coach Jimmy Waite and video coach Matt Meacham also will return to the Hawks staff.[ [Don’t miss] Meet the newest Chicago Blackhawks: A rundown of their 11 picks in the 2022 NHL draft ]“It’s great to have this experienced staff with me behind the bench,” Richardson said in a statement. “Derek has made an impact here on this organization and I’m thrilled to have someone like him on our staff. Kevin’s mind for the game and defensive focus will be an asset for us. It’s great to have the cornerstone of this coaching group finalized and we will continue to add a few pieces.”AdvertisementKing, 55, was named interim coach on Nov. 6 after the Hawks fired Jeremy Colliton following a franchise-worst 1-9-2 start. King led the Hawks to a 27-33-10 finish.He was a finalist for the permanent job before the Hawks hired Richardson late last month. However, general manager Kyle Davidson said he considered keeping King around in some capacity because of his character and positive effect on the organization.King, a former New York Islanders forward, also was the Rockford IceHogs head coach before taking over the Hawks for Colliton.[ [Don’t miss] 5 things we learned about Luke Richardson, including why you might see the new Chicago Blackhawks coach in purple ]Dean was on staff with the Bruins for playoff runs in five seasons, including reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. He’s also a former head coach of the AHL Providence Bruins.The former defenseman was a fifth-round pick by the New Jersey Devils in the 1987 draft, and went play seven NHL seasons, including part of 1999-00 and all of the 2000-01 season.