Greg Norman has fired back at Rory McIlroy, branding the would’s No. 1  as “childish” while again insisting he won’t be standing down from his position with the Saudi-funded LIV rebel tour.

The double major champion has also revealed the tour has held discussions with Justin Thomas, though Norman did not say if the two-time PGA Championship winner would switch allegiance.

Since its inception in 2021, LIV Golf has sparked a bitter civil war in the sport, with McIlroy and Tiger Woods launching stinging rebukes against the Australian golfing legend and his allies.

There were calls earlier this month for Norman to quit, with McIlroy saying he should “exit stage left” and both suggesting reconciliation between LIV Golf and the PGA could be on the table if he were to stand down.

But Norman says he will resist such calls, telling Bunkered magazine: “Rory and Tiger have no idea what they’re talking about. None whatsoever.

“I have got the full support from my chairman. There has never been one thing to suggest otherwise. They’re trying to bait me into a public back-and-forth. I’m not going down that childish path.

“You’re already seeing LIV is a leader. The PGA Tour and DP World (European) Tour, they’re followers. They’ve basically copied our homework.”

Norman did suggest McIlroy would be welcomed with open arms if he were to change his tune, while praising Thomas for his conduct in not criticising LIV Golf after he was approached to join.

‘Our door is open’

“Our door is open for everybody,” he said. “We’re not the PGA Tour. We’re not like that.

“We exist for the players, so we will always have an open door, whether that’s for Rory or Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas or whoever.

“We talked to JT (Thomas), we sat down with him and gave him the full presentation.

“If you notice, he’s not said much negative about what we’re doing, presumably because he knows it and understands it.”

Meanwhile, LIV Golf’s chief operating officer Atul Khosla has resigned.

“At the conclusion of LIV’s successful inaugural season, Atul Khosla decided to move on,” Norman told the New York Times. “We respect AK and his personal decision.”

-with AAP