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Greg Norman, the two-time British Open champion and the CEO of LIV Golf is set to lose his job as part of a deal between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, according to documents released by a Senate subcommittee on Tuesday, June 11.
According to the records, the PGA Tour demanded Norman's removal as a condition of its agreement with the PIF, which also includes the DP World Tour, formerly known as the European Tour. The agreement attempts to establish a single global golf schedule and eliminate the danger posed by LIV Golf, which offered attractive contracts to entice top players away from existing tours.
Norman, who had been the face and voice of LIV Golf since its inception in late 2021, was supposedly kept in the dark about the discussions until they were revealed on CNBC in June 2023. He had made provocative statements and pledges concerning the future of LIV Golf, including downplaying the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi operatives and threatening PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan with legal action.
The PGA Tour and the PIF's side agreement, which was not signed by Norman or LIV Golf, stated that Norman's role would be terminated and that the new entity formed by the alliance would evaluate LIV Golf's prospects and potential, as well as the benefits of team golf, which was LIV Golf's main selling point. The accord also included providing Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy their own LIV squads, which both players had previously rejected.
Norman had said in December 2022, “I pay zero attention to McIlroy and Woods, right? They have their agenda for whatever reason. They’re saying whatever they want to say. It has no bearing or effect on me. I’m going to be with LIV for a long, long period of time.”
However, his fate now seems sealed by the deal that he had no say in. Senator Richard Blumenthal, who chaired the hearing, said that Norman's situation raised questions about the transparency and fairness of the deal.
