“I hope it does take place in some way” - Greg Norman stands firm amid criticism, advocates for PGA Tour-PIF deal in players' best interest
Like the rest of the golf world, Greg Norman is no stranger to the negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. In fact, the CEO of LIV Golf sees such an agreement as a positive.
In an interview with ESPN, Norman said he was not personally involved in the framework agreement, but he is in favor of a permanent agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF because he sees it as something that would benefit the players.
Greg Norman also stated that he would like to see a similar agreement "in other institutions as well." He said:
"I'm not involved with that framework agreement at all. I'm over here looking after LIV and running LIV, but it's great to see private equity coming into the game of golf and investing in the game of golf. I hope it does take place in some way, shape or form. It's to the betterment of the players."
"As a former player, I'm all about the independent players' rights. I'm all about the players being able to earn more money and go where they need to go to earn more money or even stay somewhere to earn more money, and you're seeing that now," he continued.
Greg Norman added:
"So, I do hope that some agreement in some way, shape or form comes about, about private equity investing into golf. We've got it. Hopefully, it takes place in other institutions as well."
Later, Norman referred to his alleged dismissal in case a final agreement was reached between the PGA Tour and PIF:
"I'm still sitting here. I still have the support of my investor, and it is what it is. People can say what they want to say without having any knowledge of the outcome."
A few months ago, PGA Tour chief operating officer Ron Price testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, which was evaluating the framework agreement with PIF. Among the issues Price stated was that the position currently held by Greg Norman would disappear in the event of an eventual permanent agreement between the two institutions.
How does Greg Norman see the future of LIV Golf?
Greg Norman has reiterated many times his confidence in the strength of the LIV Golf circuit, not only because of the extraordinary financial backing it has but because the concept is, in his opinion, more appealing to players and fans.
In September 2022, Golf.com reported that in May 2022, Norman claimed that PIF had invested $2 billion in LIV Golf. If true, the amount exceeds the PGA Tour's revenues for the same year by $0.1 billion, Sportico reported, citing Tour tax returns.
With such a budget, the Norman-led circuit has managed to secure quite a few relevant assets, from top players to top-tier locations for its tournaments.
Following the signing of Jon Rahm for LIV Golf a week ago, Norman reiterated the circuit's potential, this time highlighting how attractive it is to players. According to Norman, "eight to 12" top players have shown interest in joining the Spaniard's team.
"To have Jon (Rahm) on board was critically important to our next steps into the future and what we want to do," Greg Norman told the BBC’s World Business Report. "It will create a domino effect, there will be more apples falling from the tree - there’s no question about it, because LIV continues to grow and develop."
"Since Jon signed, less than a week ago now, I know my phone is blowing up. I know we probably have eight to 12 players who are very, very keen to sit down and talk to us about coming on board. Time will tell," he added.
The truth is that LIV Golf has already announced a full schedule for the 2024 season, with most locations already confirmed. Therefore, it does not seem that the circuit will leave the public scene, at least for the next 12 months.