Greg Norman breaks silence on LIV Golf role uncertainty with contract end date set
Greg Norman has spoken out about his future with LIV Golf amid uncertainty over his role with the breakaway league, which he founded in 2022 to dramatically change the professional golf landscape
LIV Golf commissioner and CEO Greg Norman has revealed his contract with the breakaway league comes to an end next year amid speculation over his future.
The Aussie was the driving force behind the inception of LIV in 2022, being tasked by his Saudi Arabian paymasters to snap up top talent and take on the PGA Tour. In his brief as a disruptor, Norman has delivered.
LIV has gradually cemented itself as part of the professional golf landscape, with a roster that includes the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm – who were all tempted by massive contracts and team equity deals.
The creation of the unsanctioned circuit had sparked a civil war with the PGA Tour, but the situation has changed dramatically over the past 18 months with the bosses of both tours locked in negotiations over a merger that should enable the rival organisations to coexist and, crucially, the best players in the world to compete against each other more often.
Despite LIV's growth, the future of its commissioner has been uncertain. Sports Business Journal reported earlier this month that the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls LIV, was looking for a new CEO, with Norman being moved into a different role.
The 69-year-old, a two-time major champion and former world No. 1, broke his silence on the situation in an interview with Sports Illustrated. He confirmed he is nearing the end of his contract, but he insists he remains devoted to the league.
“I’ll answer it this way: My contract is through August of 2025. My commitment to LIV has been unquestioned and my commitment into the future is also unquestioned," Norman said. "Time will tell. Will there be a change in my role? My position and my role is to deliver 2025 and get our schedule done and all the things we need to do.”
Despite his influential role, Norman has maintained throughout merger talks that he has not been involved in shaping the deal with the PGA Tour. But he believes an agreement would benefit all sides, and he remains frustrated that the PGA Tour went to war with LIV at the outset rather than trying to work together.
“I can only speak on LIV’s behalf and we’re moving forward irrespective [of a deal]. Would it make things easier? Yes, it would,” he added. “Whether it’s a year or now.
“But knowing as an outsider looking in, since Day 1 three years ago, is the fact that this was such a simple fix. I will go to my grave wondering about those first 18 months [with LIV] and why. Knowing where we are today. Knowing the acceptance of what LIV Golf is today. Why did it have to be that way?
“You sit back and see all the people in the industry who created this angst. I just wish I could go back in time and revisit the start. And knowing what they know would they have done things differently. I bet they would have.”
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