LIV CEO Greg Norman reveals persuading a 2022 major champion to join the highly controversial league
Greg Norman, CEO of the controversial LIV Golf, has been in the limelight since the launch of the league last year.
In an episode of the People I (Mostly) Admire podcast, Norman opened up about persuading a 2022 Major Championships winner to join the highly controversial league. Interestingly, he did not name the player:
"I won’t mention this player’s name, but he is a top player. He’s won a Major championship in the last year in 2022. I’ll just put it to you that way."
Greg Norman even claimed that they sat at the golfer's house and astonished him with the framework of the league:
"He just sat there and looked at me and goes, ‘Wow, this is nothing like we’ve been told in the locker room."
Norman also claimed that it was the player who invited them to his house. He also shared that he and his executives visited him for a brief talk:
"And he asked me to come over, to sit down, and show him what the LIV product was all about. He was willing to sit down and listen. So myself and another one of my executives went over to his house, and we sat there, and we walked him through the presentation."
In the end, the unidentified golfer chose not to transfer to LIV Golf, and Greg Norman stated that he fully understood the choice.
The highly controversial league has managed to get a few more top-ranked players before its second season. Thomas Pieters, a 35-ranked player in OWGR, is the biggest name on the list.
Although LIV Golf already has a number of major champions on its list, adding a player who just took home a major championship might help the Saudi-sponsored circuit this year.
Who could be the golfer that Greg Norman spoke about?
It is important to note that Norman did not elaborate on the meeting's purpose. Although it is assumed that he chatted with the player not long ago after the player won a major in 2022, it is possible that they first met before the player won a major during the previous season.
With Cam Smith, the 2022 Open Champion, already signed by LIV Golf, just three players remain as potential candidates for the in-home meeting Norman allegedly had.
Cam Smith's first drive as a member of LIV
#LIVGolf #LIVGolfBoston https://t.co/wZCAzjkRf3
#1 Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler had his breakthrough year in 2022, winning a green jacket and three more PGA Tour championships. He fits the PGA Tour pattern.
#2 Matt Fitzpatrick
Fitzpatrick won the U.S. Open, which was his first victory in the United States, and the Englishman has made it plain that he wants to fight against the top golfers in the world who play on the PGA Tour.
Matt Fitzpatrick wins the U.S. Open by one stroke, earning his first major championship title and first career win on the PGA TOUR.
Fitzpatrick is the first player to earn his first TOUR title in a major since Danny Willett at the 2016 Masters Tournament.
#3 Justin Thomas
Thomas won the 2022 PGA Championships, and it is quite difficult to think he would consider a transfer to LIV Golf at any level. Given that he is close friends with Tiger Woods and is a prominent member of the PGA Tour, he doesn't seem to be switching any time soon.
The winning moment for @JustinThomas34 💪 https://t.co/T8Opo2y4xh
Although Scottie Scheffler, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Justin Thomas each have sworn commitments to the PGA Tour, attitudes and objectives can change with time. It is possible that one of these three players really did wish to consider their alternatives.
It's difficult to think of any of these three major winners ever really contemplating switching to LIV, but that's professional golf in 2023; anything can happen.