Greg Norman is “zero” concerned about the deal between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour. The figurehead of the LIV Golf is confident enough in the future of the company that he has dismissed any concerns about the deal between Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the PGA Tour.
Phil Mickelson is getting a lot of calls from players who want to join the Saudi-backed football league. Mickelson did not hesitate when asked if he believes there will be a second round of defections on the PGA Tour. No, I’m sure that will happen.”
Investors interested in Bubba Watson’s LIV team RangeGoats GC are lining up. He’s been contacted “anywhere between 10 and 20” times, with a few of them meeting him recently before the season-ending event in Doral this weekend.
Gary Davidson is the acting COO at LIV Golf and he has hinted that they may add to their current 48-player, 12-team format. Davidson stated that the maximum number of teams was 15 and that he doesn’t envision adding more than two teams in 2024.
LIV’s HQ is brimming with optimism and confidence. Four months ago, many thought the league was on life support and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan had already decided to cut the cord.
Davidson stated that “the main conversation on our side is about business as usual.” “The focus is LIV. It’s what the next year looks like and beyond.”
The narratives that emerged from the framework agreement reached between PIF (LIV’s financial backers), PGA Tour, and DP World Tour painted a bleak image for LIV. If the U.S. Justice Department sniffs it out, then the deal would combine commercial businesses and rights in a new, for-profit, company, with Monahan as the decision maker.
It was assumed that one of them would be to destroy LIV or at the very least, crush any relevance it may have now.
Norman, then 68, retired with a bag full of PIF money. At least, that’s how PGA Tour officials portrayed it at a Senate hearing about the deal.
Evidently, this memo never made it to the LIV office in downtown West Palm Beach that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean and intracoastal waterway. LIV’s growth has not slowed since.
Signings for team and league sponsorships continue to increase. The league has finalized its schedule for 2024. Norman, Davidson, and a number of players have continued to say that the league is strong and will expand.
Norman, a resident of Palm Beach Gardens, said, “We grow value everywhere we go. We grow value. The business model is working. “If you want to understand the business model, and see it as it is, you will see why we’re in this position today.”
Which is it then? Is LIV a viable league that will grow and continue to add players from PGA Tour despite an agreement merging business interests with this league? Or is LIV a second coming of USFL? This comparison would be ironic, considering that LIV held four events in the past two years, including the one this weekend, on property owned by the same man who destroyed the football league 37-years ago.
What is the answer?
LIV requires more stars to make a difference
LIV is able to talk about its future and how it will be able to attract more sponsors from the United States. It can also discuss the upcoming transfer window, and the promotion event that will take place in Abu Dhabi in seven weeks. All of these topics are important and interesting for the future. The one thing that will move the needle for the league is to add players to a pool that lacks firepower compared to the PGA Tour and the TGL virtual golf league, which is being staged in Palm Beach Gardens.
Mickelson said to Golfweek that he was excited for the players who would be joining him next year. “We will just keep improving and bringing in better and more talented players, and that is the plan. I love your commitment.” “I love being a part of this.”
We’ve heard it before. We heard the same promises a year ago at this venue. The roster was lacking star power outside of Brooks Koepka and Cam Smith. Dustin Johnson, Bryson deChambeau, and Mickelson were also absent.
It fizzled. These expectations were not met by the additions of Thomas Pieters and Mito Pereira. Sebastian Munoz, Brenda Steele, and Brenda Steele.
Norman stated, “I personally speak to many players who are interested in joining LIV.” “Our players do a fantastic job of articulating how awesome our platform is, and how much fun it is here,” Norman said. We’re receiving a lot more interest from individuals.”
These additions and a disappointing television contract with CW Network were the highlights of the offseason between Years I and II. This offseason, the league will try to stay in the conversation.
Trump’s golf courses are unlikely to be included in the 2024 LIV schedule
In the coming weeks, the schedule of eight international events and six U.S. ones will be released. The storyline will then be about the venues that are not on the list, those owned by Donald Trump. LIV is likely tired of Trump and his four-times indicted ex-president stealing the limelight at the courses he owns.
It is also worth noting that the cost of using his property can be as high as $5 million per event.
The league will announce its transfer window, when players can be traded, dropped, signed by another team or signed; and the promotion, which will include four players (Chase Koepka, Jed Morgan, James Piot, Sihwan kim) who were relegated to the LIV at the end of this season, along with a number from the top professional and amateur rankings.
Three of them will be eligible for a full-time spot on the LIV field. Andy Ogletree already has a spot after winning the International Series England.
“There are still a number of things we do for the first times because we’re still so young,” Davidson stated. “We are very open to tweaking the product and modifying certain aspects to ensure that it is as good as possible. “I wouldn’t say it’s tailored to the framework contract (with the PGA Tour), but rather to us trying to ensure that this is as good as possible.”
