Greg Norman certainly picked an interesting time to jump back into the spotlight.
The LIV Golf CEO has been quiet for months, even as the proposed merger with the PGA Tour was announced and as it was revealed he could lose his job if that merger came to be. But the Shark was front and center in New York City last week to tell executives at an invite-only event that not only is LIV not going anywhere, but that it’s actively recruiting.
“I’m getting calls today about other players wanting to come [join LIV Golf]. Been getting a lot of interest from that myself, personally,” Norman said in audio obtained by the Washington Post.
Sure, Norman’s never been short on confidence. But are his comments actually delusional given how uncertain the future of professional golf is?
To be fair, Norman’s stance makes sense from a business standpoint. He wants his Saudi Arabia-funded golf circuit to succeed and is trying to get more people to invest in it. He also probably doesn’t want to be out of a job if a merger actually happens, so he’s going to put a game face on and continue as though nothing is wrong.
But going so far as to say he’s getting multiple calls from PGA Tour players wanting to defect? Is that even true?
As YardBarker analyzed in June, there doesn’t appear to be a steady stream of players leaving the PGA Tour for LIV — the latest rumor that Brooks Koepka was courting Gary Woodland never came to fruition — and the players who recently left the DP World Tour were already competing in LIV events.
Heck, one LIV Golfer even revealed recently that he plans to rejoin the European circuit in August after less than two years in Norman’s league.
LIV hasn’t exactly had a cakewalk of a sophomore season, either. While the league continues to form new partnerships, it appears to still be struggling to grow its audience at the rate it wants to. (LIV still isn’t releasing viewership numbers after it posted abysmal stats for its first two events this season.) With the road being as rocky as it is, it’s hard to believe that players are flocking to LIV, even with such a big payday awaiting them.
So, whether anyone has actually called Norman to inquire about joining “golf but louder” is anyone’s guess. But even with LIV Golf continuing on in a “business as usual” manner, it doesn’t appear that Norman has the best grasp on what the future holds for LIV — or for him.
