NAPLES, Fla. — Greg Norman looks on after during the final round of the QBE Shootout at Tiburon Golf Club on December 12, 2021. | Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
Norman, the current CEO of LIV Golf, was adamant that the upstart league is going nowhere. But ‘The Shark’ may be the one packing his bags.
Move over, Greg Norman; there’s a new sheriff in town.
New details about the deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) have emerged.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will oversee both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf once this agreement is finalized, according to a Sports Illustrated report.
This development means that Monahan can disband LIV if he wants to and also approve the reinstatement of former PGA Tour professionals if he so desires. It’s hard to imagine Monahan having a place for Norman considering the public distaste the latter has expressed with the PGA Tour over the years.
The report also notes that the only promise made between PGA Tour and PIF officials is a “right to refusal,” meaning many unknowns still exist.
This detailed report comes almost two days after Norman hopped on a 30-minute call with LIV Golf staffers to discuss its future.
“LIV is and will continue to be a standalone enterprise,” Norman said on the call. “Our business model will not change. We changed history, and we’re not going anywhere.”
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
STERLING, Va — Harold Varner III is sprayed with champagne by Talor Gooch after Varner won the LIV Golf Invitational – DC at Trump National Golf Club on May 28, 2023.
Despite his comments to the contrary, it still looks like Norman’s days are numbered.
Nowhere did Norman’s, or LIV Golf’s, name appear on the press release announcing the alignment of the PGA and PIF. Nor was Norman aware of the conversations between Monahan, PGA Tour board members Ed Herlily and Jimmy Dunne, and PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan that led to this bombshell announcement.
Interestingly, numerous LIV players—and Norman to an extent—declared victory after news of the merger hit the airwaves.
Phil Mickelson, one of the faces of LIV golf, tweeted, “awesome day today,” on Jun. 6, the day the news broke.
Mickelson has remained quiet on social media since then, a stark contrast from the preceding weeks in which he clapped back at criticisms and even took a shot at Rory McIlroy.
But LIV Golf—if it remains intact or disbands—created a team approach for the first time in men’s professional golf outside the President’s Cup and Ryder Cup.
At the very least, the legacy of team play will carry on through Tiger Woods and McIlroy’s TGL Golf League. This virtual golf league will take place Monday nights in primetime with six teams of three players.
So despite Monahan acting hypocritically, it looks like he will have the upper hand on Norman going forward.
