A former golf agent has claimed that the concept behind LIV Golf is nothing new, and in fact was conceived almost six decades earlier by Mark H McCormack.
Hughes Norton, who was once the agent of Tiger Woods and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman, made the claim in an interview with Gary Williams of 5 Clubs Golf to promote the release of his new book Rainmaker, which lifts the lid on his time representing Norman and Tiger Woods.
Norton began by saying that “this in my view is the biggest revelation in our book.” He then explained how the idea for a similar tour to the limited-field, no-cut LIV Golf came about long before Norman launched the circuit in 2022.
He said: “LIV, the concept of a smaller tour with a handful of top stars, not 150 people in the field, with higher prize money, with benefits for players, with a limited schedule so players have more time at home and to focus on the Majors, was not invented by these guys in Britain or by Greg Norman.”
Golf super agent Hughes Norton represented some of the best in the world including Tiger and the Shark. His book "Rainmaker" is out now, as is his conversation with @Garywilliams1Up | @golfpridegrips Watch Full: https://t.co/jqH5aO2lGlListen: https://t.co/B6vrlY8CHD pic.twitter.com/QyattFEmikMarch 25, 2024
Norton then pointed out that McCormack, who developed golf’s first world ranking system and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2006, had first described the idea in his 1967 biography on Arnold Palmer.
Norton explained: “Mark McCormack, once again two steps ahead of everybody else, wrote about this in his book called Arnie: Evolution of a Legend. Mark came up with this idea in 1964 and we spell it all out in the book.”
Norman had been an advocate for a World Golf Tour almost three decades before the launch of LIV Golf, and had pitched the idea of a circuit featuring 40 of the game's top stars competing in eight big-money events to players at his Shark Shootout [later the QBE Shootout] event in 1994.
Norton recalled the scene as Norman revealed details of his plans, but said that Palmer was far from sold on the concept having dismissed the idea of launching such a tour in the past.
He continued: “Greg made this big pitch to the players. Arnold stood up and said: ‘Guys, you do whatever you want but I’ve been through this before,’ and he looked up at Greg and he said: ‘Greg, how many times do you think Jack [Nicklaus] and Gary [Player] and I were approached about an idea like this? We would never do it for the good of the game and, more important, the good of the Tour.’
“Then he looked around the room and said again: ‘I don’t care what the rest of you guys do, make up your mind, it’s up to you. I’m not going to tell you what to do, but I’m out,’ and he turned and walked out of the room.”
Almost 30 years later, Norman got his way with the launch of LIV Golf. That’s a move that has had a huge impact on the elite game, not least as its backer, the Saudi Public Investment Fund, is now involved in discussions with the PGA Tour on how the organizations can co-exist.
Rainmaker: Superagent Hughes Norton and the Money-Grab Explosion of Golf from Tiger to LIV and Beyond is published on 26 March.
