Greg Norman presents the trophy following the LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral Miami. | Photo by Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images
LIV Golf and its CEO, Greg Norman, won big at the World Golf Awards, which led many fans to speculate its legitimacy.
The 10th annual World Golf Awards ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening, and LIV Golf emerged as the big winner.
The Saudi-backed circuit won the World’s Best Golf Innovation Award 2023 for its innovative approach to golf.
Interestingly, this is the first instance in which this award was given out at the World Golf Awards.
LIV Golf also won the prize for staging the World’s Best Golf Event of the Year 2023.
The league’s Adelaide event in Australia, which saw Talor Gooch win by three strokes over Anirban Lahiri, earned this distinction.
The tournament garnered plenty of worldwide attention as Aussie fans flocked to The Grange Golf Club in mid-April to watch LIV Golf stars tee it up in the land down under. Australian Cameron Smith was a huge draw, but so too was fellow Aussie Marc Leishman, who hails from Warrnambool, Victoria.
The event was one big party, which also featured a live concert. More than 75,000 fans showed up, with many of them following Smith, who later called it the “best event” he ever played in, per GolfMagic.
Chase Koepka’s ace on the par-3 12th produced a viral moment as fans went wild in celebration. This hole was set up like the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale for the Waste Management Phoenix Open on the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf was the only nominee in both of these categories, while every other award had multiple aspirants.
On top of all of this, LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, who recently said he had “zero worry” about the league’s future, won the World Golf Award for being the Best Golf Course Designer of the Year 2023.
Norman’s architecture company, Greg Norman Golf Course Design, has designed more than 100 courses across the world, including Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, Florida, which will host the inaugural Grant Thornton Invitational in December.
Nevertheless, these recognitions caused many fans to speculate and wonder:
Greg Norman as 2023 Golf Course Designer of the Year tells me all I need to know about the legitimacy of these honors.
— ChuckX (@ChipnBogey) October 25, 2023
Are you actually reporting this?
— ZenPhilosopherBasho (@ZenPsych101) October 24, 2023
Now you know this is a farce! Good lord they are desperate! LoL
— Ben Hogan 1953 (@TinCup2020) October 25, 2023
World Golf Awards? Is this funded by the Saudis too?? What a joke
— Bill (@bcav19) October 25, 2023
Congrats on your made up award. This is right up there with Trump winning his 3 day club championship while only playing 2 days or Trumps time person of the year. Special stuff guys
— Quick Lefts (@quicklefts) October 24, 2023
With that said, many fans who attended or watched the event in Adelaide raved about its success:
Adelaide was awesome, the whole event was fantastic. The whole town was buzzing! Australia rarely gets to see such talent and was well supported, especially by families! Thanks Sharkie!
— GregM (@Gmeister67) October 25, 2023
LIV Golf Adelaide was the best golf tournament of the year. Most fun tournament I’ve ever watched, it’s more of what golf can & should be. The Majors have their appeal, yes, but if more tournaments were like Adelaide golf would be a bigger draw. https://t.co/1KeTKc6GV5
— LIV Golf Enthusiast (@LIVGolfEnth) October 25, 2023
What do you think of the awards that LIV Golf won? Should they be celebrated? Or looked at with suspicion? Let us know in the comments below or @_PlayingThrough.
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.
