Earlier this year, reports indicated that Greg Norman’s time as the CEO of LIV Golf was coming to an end.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman scoffs at PGA Tour merger, has ‘zero’ worry about future
Norman opened up about his future at LIV Golf for the first time since the framework agreement became public knowledge on Jun. 6.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
After all, his name appeared nowhere within the framework agreement signed by the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)—LIV Golf’s benefactor.
Yet, Norman, speaking for the first time since the deal became public knowledge in June, expressed “zero” concern about the future of LIV Golf and his future with the Saudi-backed circuit, according to Bob Harig of Sports Illustrated.
“All indications are showing that the position of LIV has never been stronger and that the success of our players and our brand has never been in a better place,” Norman said.
The two-time Open champion noted how LIV has a full schedule for 2024, a new relegation system, and how the league will venture into new regions during its second full year of operations.
Nevertheless, the PGA Tour and PIF are still in negotiations, with a pending deadline of Dec. 31, 2023.
Despite that, a Bloomberg report points to an extension of that deadline into 2024.
“I have my own personal points what that is, but I’m not involved with it,” Norman said about his involvement with the agreement.
“I don’t want to be involved with it. There are smarter people involved with that than I am. I just hope it does work. I really do. I’ve always been a believer in that. That’s why I wanted to speak to [PGA Tour Commissioner] Jay Monahan a long time ago. I wanted to speak to him to explain the value of what our product is. And the value of what we can give back to everybody. They chose not to. So I’ll leave it up to them to figure it out. I’m truly having a great time doing this. The journey’s been worth it.”
It has been a long journey for Norman, who wanted to establish a worldwide golf league in the mid-1990s.
He even held a meeting for top PGA Tour pros to discuss his global vision in 1994 at the Sherwood Country Club in Southern California, according to Alan Shipnuck’s latest book, LIV and Let Die.
After Norman finished presenting his idea, the great Arnold Palmer stood up and said, “You can do what you think is best, but I don’t want any part of this.”
Palmer, who helped create the modern PGA Tour and the Golf Channel, wanted to keep the tour’s legacy intact. So, too, did his fellow professionals, as Palmer, along with a slew of others, walked up and exited the room after the ‘King’ made his feelings known.
That left Norman feeling embarrassed and bitter, which helps explain why Norman is where he is today with LIV Golf.
But Norman never wanted to destroy the PGA Tour; he wanted to create a global league for elite golfers to play internationally alongside the tour.
“That was our original premise to have guys share no different than what I had in [the 90s] with the world tour, right?” he said. “You could play 12 events and still go play on the PGA Tour, but [with LIV Golf], you had a chance to make significant generational wealth over here. You could still play with the PGA Tour.”
Of course, the PGA Tour suspended any player who jumped to LIV Golf, creating tension. Lawsuits followed, but those have been dropped thanks to the framework agreement.
Regardless, Norman has stayed out of the fray for the past few months until he spoke with reporters this week in Miami, where LIV Golf will host its season-ending team championship.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
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