Greg Norman has confirmed that his days as LIV Golf CEO are numbered.
Speculation has been mounting that Norman would move aside in the role, with Merlin Entertainments CEO Scott O’Neill reported to be stepping into his shoes. However, in an interview with Sports Illustrated in October, Norman revealed that his contract runs until after the 2025 season, although he did hint his role could change before then.
The Australian has now added more clarity to the situation in an interview with Indiana-based Indiana TV station WISH-TV. Norman admitted that a new CEO was incoming, but it doesn’t mean the end of his LIV Golf journey.
He said: “I’ve seen it come from a business model on paper to giving birth on the golf course to where it is today. Is there going to be a new CEO? Yes. There will be a new CEO. I’m fine with that.
“Will I always have a place and be involved with LIV to some capacity? Yes. I’ll always have that. Because the impact that has been created in the game of golf by LIV, I’ve had a small, small piece of that, which I’m proud of.”
"There will be a new CEO. I’m fine with that. Will I always have a place and be involved with LIV to some capacity? Yes."Current LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman discussed his future with the league during our exclusive interview.Click here for more ➡️ https://t.co/hxEMW0AimD pic.twitter.com/sNhgqzORKRDecember 6, 2024
One of the hallmarks of Norman’s LIV Golf reign has been his staunch defence of the circuit, which is backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, amid frequent hostility. That was particularly evident in the months after it was launched in 2022, and not least from the PGA Tour. He remains adamant that LIV Golf’s emergence has been good for the men’s elite game.
He added: “Competition was a great thing for them [PGA Tour] too. Now they got an injection from SSG [Strategic Sports Group] of $1.5 billion. Great for the PGA Tour, wonderful.
“So everywhere you look – In the first couple years, everybody was lambasting us. And now all of a sudden, everybody’s trying to follow us. And I think everybody should take a step back and say, ‘Oh my gosh. How good has this been for the game of golf?’”
In October’s Sports Illustrated interview, Norman admitted there had been setbacks along the way, not least LIV Golf’s inability to secure a network TV deal in the US, and he reiterated that there had been “headwinds”.
“The United States has been a tough market to penetrate for the last three years because we have had a lot of headwinds," he said. "But, now, people are understanding the product that we are in the rightful place. We want to co-exist within the golf ecosystem, which we are showing everybody. And our product has a tremendous economic impact to the area.”
