“LIV is a stand alone entity“ - Greg Norman stands firm on ‘no-operational’ changes policy regarding the future LIV Golf events

LIV golf CEO and former professional golfer Greg Norman ruled out the possibility of the circuit ceasing to operate after the agreement between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) of Saudi Arabia. He said this in a meeting with several LIV employees on Wednesday.

So far, Greg Norman has not gone to the press to share his thoughts on the PIF/PGA deal. In fact, his only public statement on the matter was a tweet in which he stated, "The journey continues!!!"

However, his words during the meeting with his employees, which was held in video conference mode, have been reported. During the meeting, it is being reported that he expressed his conviction that LIV Golf will continue to enliven the golf world as it has for the past two years.

According to The Fire Pit Collective, he told his employees:

“Congratulations! You changed golf, and you did it in less than a year. There will be no operational changes in 2023, 2024, 2025 and into the future. LIV is a stand-alone entity and will continue to be that moving forward. And that comes right from the top.”

According to The Fire Pit Collective "right from the top" refers to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, governor of PIF, the entity that financially created LIV Golf. He is the same Saudi businessman who, just two days ago, announced the deal with the PGA, in conjunction with commissioner Jay Monahan.

Greg Norman in his days as a PGA Tour pro golfer, 1993 (Image via Getty).

According to the Daily Mail, Greg Norman also showed confidence that the operating supports (say sponsors, TV contracts, venues, etc) of LIV Golf would continue to exist, with even better presence in the future.

Here's what he had to say on the matter:

"The spigot is now wide open for commercial sponsorships, blue-chip companies, TV networks. LIV is and will continue to be a standalone enterprise. Our business model will not change. We changed history, and we're not going anywhere."

So far, it has not been explained how world golf will be redesigned in the near future. Greg Norman is talking about keeping LIV Golf in operation, with the alleged approval of Al-Rumayyan. Let's not forget that the Saudi businessman, hand in hand with Monahan, announced to the world the emergence of a "global entity" that will encompass all professional golf.

How did the staff react to the meeting with Greg Norman?

The Fire Pit Collective quoted several of the LIV Golf staff who, while they chose not to reveal their names, did say that Greg Norman conveyed complete confidence in them at Wednesday's meeting.

They said some of them, after hearing Tuesday's news about the PIF/PGA deal, thought it was the end for LIV Golf. But Norman told them otherwise. The CEO even claimed that the 2024 schedule was "almost ready."

One of the LIV executives interviewed went so far as to state that they were convinced that, with the PIF/PGA agreement, they thought they would have no obstacles to signing the best players still playing for the PGA Tour:

“Now we can finally get Hideki [Matsuyama] and Jon Rahm. I would say every big name on the PGA Tour will get an offer. Except Rory. Nobody wants that little b*** on their team,” one of them said to The Fire Pit Collective.

Earlier, Jay Monahan had told the press that he "didn't see a scenario" in which LIV Golf would remain in operation. For his part, star Rory McIlroy said he expected the end of the LIV circuit.