LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman to be ousted from the merger according to a side deal between PGA and PIF: Reports
PGA Tour officials are fighting for CEO Greg Norman to be ousted as CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf. This news comes in light of a side deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF along with negotiations with the DP World Tour. The documents released by the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations have shed light on several factors of the merger.
During the Congressional hearing about the new merger between the PGA Tour and the PIF, Senator Richard Blumenthal stated that there was a side agreement between both parties to push Greg Norman out of the new alliance.
Greg Norman responds to Tour + PIF side deal for him to be fired:
“To hear through the media that our team leader has given up on me is heartbreaking. It’s not what a team member looks to hear from its leader, and I think we all know these comments should have been handled much… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Greg Norman, despite being the CEO of LIV Golf, did not find out about the shocking deal until moments before a joint statement was prepared to be made. Norman has been a great advocate for the LIV Golf Series, saying that it will continue beyond 2024, but Norman himself is not mentioned anywhere in the framework.
Greg Norman ousted, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy to own LIV Golf teams; documents release new details
Further details share that Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods should also own LIV Golf teams. It also states that McIlroy met with PIF governer Yasir Al-Rumayyan in Dubai all the way back in November. Even Woods and McIlroy have been adamant that for there to be peace amongst the tours, Greg Norman must go.
The inquiry into the documents has not yet revealed whether the side agreement has been executed or not. However, it is important to note that Jay Monahan's talking points on the documents included, "Norman will be assigned to an advisory role determined by PIF when the PGA Tour becomes the manager of the LIV Tour."
Richard Blumenthal's inquiry further said:
"Today's hearing is about much more than the game of golf. It's about how a brutal, repressive regime can buy influence -- indeed even take over -- a cherished American institution simply to cleanse its public image."
The statement refers to the concern over the 'sportwashing' of the world of golf. The deal between the LIV Series, the Saudi PIF, PGA Tour, and DP World Tour comes as a shock to many. The merger will see the end of any and all litigation amongst the series and a change in the management of the new golf entity.