Greg Norman, the 1986 and 1993 Open Champion and chief executive of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, is not in St. Andrews, having been asked by the R&A not to attend.

The two are long-time friends. When Norman arrived in America in the early ‘80s, Nicklaus played practice rounds with the then rising star and there was a sense the Golden Bear was mentoring a younger version of himself.

But the friendship has seemingly been strained in recent times with the emergence of LIV Golf and the turmoil swirling around the world of men’s professional golf. In one newspaper report, Norman called Nicklaus a “hyprocrite” for his comments and stance against LIV Golf.

Twelve questions into his lengthy media conference in St. Andrews, Nicklaus could avoid the obvious questions no longer and he waded briefly into the turbulent waters of raging around his relationship with Norman.

After pleading ignorance as to the reasons why Norman was not invited to the 150th Open celebrations, the 18-time major winner continued.

“Let me just sum this up with a couple of words,” Nicklaus said. “First of all, Greg Norman is an icon in the game of golf. He's a great player. We've been friends for a long time, and regardless of what happens, he's going to remain a friend.

“Unfortunately, he and I just don't see eye-to-eye in what's going on. I'll basically leave it at that.”

And he did because he’s not in St. Andrews to fuel anymore controversy. The game doesn’t need it.

Jack Nicklaus surrounded by his family, who are in town to witness him become an honorary citizen of St. Andrews. PHOTO: Getty Images.

Nicklaus, 82, is back in the historic golf town for the first time in 17 years since saying goodbye the Open Championship in 2005. He’s with a large entourage of family and friends who will witness the greatest major winner of all-time become just the third ever American – alongside Benjamin Franklin and Bobby Jones – to be presented honorary citizenship of St. Andrews.

“I declined to come back the last couple of times to St. Andrews,” Nicklaus said “I played at St. Andrews, because it was where I made my farewell in 2005, and I didn't want to come back and dilute that for what it was. It was fantastic then.

“But when I got the invitation this time to be an honorary citizen of St. Andrews and to follow Bobby Jones and Benjamin Franklin, I've got to come back. So to be back is fantastic.”

There have been so many career highlights for Nicklaus at St. Andrews, but it was his reflection on his first ever visit to the Old Course that had even long-time golf media hardheads sitting bug-eyed on the edge of their seat.

“The only thing I knew about St Andrews before I got here in 1964 was my father came over with a couple of friends in 1959 when I was at Muirfield,” he said.

“And they came over. And, of course, they were saying how much trouble they had, and I couldn't understand what was your trouble? But one of them had three-putted 13 times, the other one 14, the other one 15. Now I understood why they had trouble.

“But then I came back in '64, and that's all I really knew about it other than it was the home of golf. Arnold (Palmer) came here in '60, lost by a shot to Kel Nagle. That's what I knew about St. Andrews. I knew St. Andrews obviously from previous years, but that's really what my knowledge was.

“When I stepped on it in '64, all of a sudden to step out of the clubhouse, step here, look at the first tee, look at what was there, see the town, see everything, I fell in love with it immediately. And I've had a love affair with it ever since.”