Recently, the PIF withdrew its backing for LIV Golf. A result of this decision is that now everyone is speculating on what will happen with the league without its primary source of income. It is funded through the season, but beyond that, the league’s future is up in the air. Greg Norman, however, is brainstorming some ideas on how to keep his old league alive.
Greg Norman On LIV
LIV Golf is the brainchild of Greg Norman. He has been trying to get a world tour league off the ground for decades before he found a backer in the Saudi PIF. Norman was even the CEO until last year when Scott O’Neil took over his old position. Norman fully acknowledges that LIV’s next step is fully in the hands of O’Neil, but he still has some ideas.
Going on the DanOnGolf show for an interview and revealed a lot about his vision. Norman wanted the league to work with the PGA Tour and not against it. He wanted to do this by propping up some of the lesser events. In fact, this was the plan for the US LIV events. Instead of them being unique to LIV Golf, they were to be a joint effort with the PGA. That plan never came into fruition as the PGA has been hostile towards LIV due to its ties to the Saudi government and all the controversy that comes with that. Norman does believe that cooperation with the PGA can help LIV survive, but he isn’t holding out hope for that.
What Norman Thinks Should Be Done
Greg Norman did share what he thinks needs to happen for the league’s survival. He told Rapaport the following:
“I read his comments (Scott O’Neil) on we’ve got to go raise money ourselves, LIV has to do that. Basically, he’s got to get out there on the street now, and he’s got to do a roadshow, and he’s got to see if he can dilute some of the PIF funding down to somewhere else. Getting a US financial institution coming in would be very advantageous, no different to what’s happened with SSG and the PGA Tour. Very, very advantageous for him.”
Norman proceeded to praise Brian Rolapp for how he’s been handling the PGA. He likes how Rolapp has been handling things in terms of player agency and how he’s been looking to change the Tour. Norman looked at the former and said, “That’s what we did for Bryson DeChambeau.”
Keeping LIV Alive
Greg Norman has had a lot invested in LIV Golf and wants to see it grow the way he envisioned it. However, the league still has a lot of hurdles ahead of it. The most controversial connection it had may be fading, but the memory remains and continues to have a deep impact on the league’s reputation. Norman wants to see a US financial institution jump in, but as he said, that’s already happened with the PGA. The PGA also dominates the American golf market, so investors will need a lot of persuasion before jumping into LIV Golf. Norman had a vision for his league, but during his time in it, he never saw it come to fruition. Now he may see it fizzle out as the funding dries up.
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