Australian golf legend Greg Norman suggested 'we've all made mistakes' when quizzed about the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi - to which the Saudi government has admitted responsibility for.
Norman, speaking in his role as chief executive of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf super league, fielded several questions about Saudi Arabia's human rights record and was specifically asked about the 2018 murder of Khashoggi in Turkey.
Khashoggi was killed after visiting the Saudi Arabia's consulate in Istanbul, with a U.S government-led investigation finding that Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman approved the murder of the journalist, who had been a prominent critic of the Middle Eastern country's government.
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However in 2019, Bin Salman denied he personally ordered the killing of Khashoggi, but took responsibility for the murder as he admitted it was 'committed by individuals working for the Saudi government'.
When asked about the slaying at an LIV Golf press conference, Norman played down the situation, insisting that 'we've all made mistakes' and those that were a part of it had accepted responsibility.
“Everybody has owned up to it, right?" Norman said.
"It has been spoken about, from what I’ve read, going on what you guys reported.
“Take ownership, no matter what it is.
“Look, we’ve all made mistakes and you just want to learn from those mistakes and how you can correct them going forward.”
The new super league is an upstart in the world of golf run by LIV Golf Investments, which is led by Norman as CEO.
The organisation is financially backed by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia, which is essentially the government's financial arm.
The PIF recently purchased an 80 per cent stake in Premier League outfit Newcastle United, and has made investments in various other international sports.
In February this year, LIV Golf announced a $300 million USD, 10-year investment in the Asian Tour that would include an international series of 10 events across Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
A month later, the company then launched its own league, the LIV Golf Invitational series.
Major golf organiser PGA has in the past threatened to suspend or expel players from their tour that pledge their allegiance to the rival tour.