Smith: "Greg Norman's exit is the best thing that could happen for LIV Golf"

Smith: “Greg Norman’s exit is the best thing that could happen for LIV Golf”

Posted by author December 11, 2024 Golf

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So, Greg Norman’s days as LIV Golf chief executive are numbered.

The two-time Open champ confirmed last week the breakaway tour will have a new face in charge for the 2025 campaign.

Rumour has it that former Alton Towers boss Scott O’Neill will take over, but if the way he ran that theme park is anything to go by then LIV fans will be in for disappointment.

It was rubbish.

I jest, of course.

But back to The Shark, who confirmed his exit to WishTV in what I can only imagine was through gritted teeth: “I’m fine with it.”

Norman was named as chief executive of LIV Golf Investments back in October 2021.

I can still remember that day, sitting in my pants eating cereal, when an email pinged through on my phone.

“Greg Norman named chief executive of LIV Golf Investments”

The press release didn’t actually contain any information about LIV as we know it today, only that the PIF of Saudi Arabia had committed to investing in the Asian Tour by creating The International Series.

At the time, there were whispers about a Saudi golf league being created and made up of the game’s biggest stars.

It was right around the time Phil Mickelson was making headlines by accusing the PGA Tour top brass of being obnoxiously greedy because he wasn’t a trillionaire.

But there were so many smokes and mirrors it was hard to gauge what was really going on behind the scenes.

Since then, so much has transpired and Norman has been right at the centre of Golf’s Civil War.

He’s traded blows publicly with Rory McIlroy and PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan, inexplicably tried to defend the murder of a journalist as just ‘a mistake’ and even faced public humiliation by the R&A when he was excluded from the 150th Open at St Andrews.

Was that really the right way to treat a past champ, regardless of his views? Come on.

His demise has been reported several times, but Norman has remained in his post.

Still, it’s quite remarkable to hear it from the man himself that he really is being given the elbow.

The news got me thinking, though, about how Norman will be remembered and what his legacy will be.

Does he deserve to be a pariah? Is he a trailblazer? Is his reputation damaged beyond repair?

All a matter of opinion, of course.

And I’m prepared to give you mine.

I’ve thought long and hard and despite the fact I clearly think LIV is a complete joke, I’m prepared to give him credit where it is due.

That being said, I believe the negatives tip the scale.

First, the positives.

Okay, so he had a load of cash at his disposal but he did well to convince some of the guys, such as Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith, to take a leap of faith.

Say what you want, but it was a huge risk for DeChambeau to join LIV. At least professionally.

LIV were by no means assured OWGR accreditation when DeChambeau signed on the dotted line and therefore he knew that, given his exemption into the majors were expiring in 2025, he needed to perform well in the big four or risk being frozen out of them altogether.

There was also the prospect of a lifetime PGA Tour ban.

What would he have done then? I’m sure the bundles of cash would’ve helped him sleep at night but still, the man would’ve wanted to play major championship golf.

Side note: Have you noticed how DeChambeau has stopped belly-aching about the OWGR issue since he won at Pinehurst? Funny that.

I think Norman also deserves credit for not running away and hiding despite being subject to such vitriol.

It’s been ugly at times. Golf Channel analyst and former PGA Tour winner Brandel Chamblee even called for Norman to be removed from the hall of fame.

Everyone, including this author, has taken the right royal piss and he has brushed it off his shoulders at every turn.

I mentioned above how the R&A barred him from attending the celebrations at the landmark 150th Open. That wasn’t right.

At the time, R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers pointed out that Norman hadn’t attended an Open for quite some time and he felt as though Norman would use the major as an opportunity to drum up interest in LIV and stir the pot.

That may have been true, but Norman is a past champion and deserved to be treated as such, even if it R&A officials felt uncomfortable.

It also isn’t right that Fred Ridley, Augusta National chairman, has declined to extend Norman invites to The Masters since he got involved with LIV.

Norman, I think, also deserves credit for creating a golf tour that has changed golf’s stuffy image.

It’s a small thing, but allowing players to wear shorts was long overdue wasn’t it?

At LIV events, I also like the fact that they have created designated viewing areas for children to see players in action up close.

Elsewhere, it’s clear that LIV genuinely does treat everyone involved with the breakaway tour with respect: from caddies, tournament staff and volunteers.

Some the stories I have heard over the last few years about how PGA Tour officials allegedly treat caddies is disgusting.

“You feel more included,” Dustin Johnson‘s brother and caddie Austin previously said of the topic.

“The little stuff, like just being able to go into the player dining and eat, and my wife can go in there and hang out and they let her go in all the club and get some air conditioning and get a snack, stuff like that.”

Now let’s get on to a few negatives, shall we?

There are a few.

Norman has repeatedly claimed that LIV operates independently from the Saudi PIF.

Legal documents contradict this and it’s ridiculous to suggest anything else.

Norman has also trumpeted the line LIV’s mission is solely to grow the game.

It’s all about money, Greg, for everyone involved…

I do think Norman has told a few porkies to his players. With extreme confidence, he said that the PGA Tour couldn’t ban golfers and that LIV would absolutely get the OWGR accreditation they so desperately craved in the early days.

Big fat swing and a miss on both fronts, there.

Norman has also spoken, at length, about how golfers are independent contractors and have the right to play anywhere.

But LIV players are under strict contracts that prevent them from playing in events they perhaps should be allowed to.

Take, for example, Richard Bland.

Blandy won two senior majors this year and, in ordinary circumstances, would’ve been able to play in the Senior Open.

The Englishman wasn’t in the field at Carnoustie because the tournament is run by the R&A and the DP World Tour.

Bland quit the DP World Tour to avoid financial penalties but he wasn’t happy that the R&A didn’t ‘stand up’ to the established tour to allow him to participate.

In any case, if Bland was allowed to tee it up in Scotland, he still wouldn’t have been able to play because he was contracted to play in LIV’s tournament JCB.

I asked Bland before an Asian Tour event at Fox Hills if he would have considered asking LIV for a tournament release.

He said no, explaining that he didn’t want to open up a can of worms with his employer.

Sorrywhatpardon?

Let’s move on.

I think biggest of all is the fact that Norman has downplayed Saudi Arabia’s human rights issues.

Another golf tour has the right to exist, but let’s be honest about where the money is coming from.

I don’t think I’ll ever forget his response to the aforementioned gaffe when asked about the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Ridiculous.

The men’s game has also been tilted towards greed and fans are more disengaged than ever despite more people playing the sport than ever.

Norman and LIV are responsible for this whilst simultaneously telling us that their improving the product.

Does improving the product mean simply find more ways to pay the top players more money? Do me a favour.

In time, maybe Norman will be remembered as the great champion and player he was.

But as far as I’m concerned his reputation has been damaged irreparably.

Hopefully his successor will have a better relantionship with the truth.

What do you make of Greg Norman’s time as LIV Golf boss?

Send us your comments on X or join us on Facebook.

Smith: “Greg Norman’s exit is the best thing that could happen for LIV Golf”

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