Norman and his dog on the fairway of Trump Doral Stadium in Miami on Thursday. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Greg Norman says he has “zero” concerns about job losses during the shock “merger” of the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund and the PGA Tour – even as US Senate hearings revealed that the main condition of the “framework agreement” ” was his dismissal from the post of General Director of LIV Golf.
The revelations emerged in the summer, shortly after the announcement that rocked the game when Yasser Al-Rumayyan – the manager of the kingdom's $600 billion treasure chest and chairman of Newcastle United – appeared to end golf's civil war by ending a legal battle litigation and entered into peace negotiations with the Sawgrass headquarters.
However, although Norman was not involved in this historic breaking of bread, he insists that there were no concerns on his part, despite the documents , showing that American circles demanded his immediate removal.
“I knew it wasn’t true,” Norman said. “There's so much white noise. I paid very, very little… I didn't pay any attention to it at all. I know that today, sitting in this seat, every step I took was for the right reasons related to the game of golf… So I was never afraid of anyone saying anything or anything hostile against me or something like that. Because this business model works…
“All indications are that LIV's position has never been stronger, and the position and success of our players and our brand have never been in a better place.”
These were Norman's first public comments since the “merger” story broke in early June. Speaking to a small group of journalists, including Telegraph Sport, here at Trump Doral on the eve of the final event of the LIV 2023 season, the 68-year-old projected an air of supreme confidence as he dismissed theories about the impending end of the season. his breakaway league.
“Zero, zero,” he replied, if there were any concerns when the alliance was first announced. “On June 6th I had zero, and today I have zero.
“I knew exactly the amount of investment in LIV and the long-term capacity of the [12 LIV teams] franchises, as well as the valuation of each of those franchises. Money was always going to be invested in this and will continue to be invested in it. I knew that LIV would always exist.”
Norman admitted that he had no role in the current negotiations, but was rooting for a pact to be concluded. “I have my own personal thoughts on this, but I’m not involved in it,” he said. “I don't want to be a part of this. Smarter people than me are involved in this. I just hope it works. I really believe it.
“I always believed in it. That's why I've been wanting to talk to [PGA Tour commissioner] Jay Monahan for a long time. I wanted to talk to him to explain the value of our product and the value of what we can give back to everyone. They decided not to do this. So I'll leave it up to them. I'm really having a great time doing this. The trip was worth it.”
How Monahan will feel about Norman's position is anyone's guess, but the two-time major winner is adamant that his vision of a global network 30 years ago is proving correct. He believes LIV golfers should be able to compete on the PGA Tour.
“That was our original premise, that the guys would be no different than what I had on the 1993 World Tour, right?” He said. “You could play 12 tournaments and still be on the PGA Tour, but here you had the chance to build significant generational wealth. You could still play with the PGA Tour.
“Remember, we only had one place we could go, and that was the PGA Tour, [who owned] our [media rights], they told us where we could go. played and could not play. We didn't have any chance of really increasing the wealth of our generations.
“Now the guys on the PGA Tour will see the benefits of this. You see changes in the Tour after LIV. So we've become a leader in helping everyone understand how to commercialize the game of golf.”
The 2024 schedule will be announced in the coming weeks, and Norman is confident more signings will be forthcoming. “Our next couple of months will probably be the most exciting time for me,” Norman said. “I’m definitely seeing a lot of FOMO (fear of missing out). Personally, I am reaching out to the many players who want to move to LIV.”
And he maintained that this would happen whether there was a deal or not. Norman said his business will not be included in the category. “LIV is independent,” he said. “I don't think LIV will go anywhere other than up.”
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