LIV Golf officials like to refer to 2022 as its beta season and 2023 as its true first season.
However you want to differentiate between the two years so far, LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman hasn’t been nearly as vocal this year compared to last. That changed on Thursday when the two-time major champion was joined by Cam Smith and South Australia Premier Peter Malinauskas for a press conference ahead of LIV Golf Adelaide, the upstart circuit’s first event in Australia.
Norman doubled down on previous comments and claims that the rebranded LIV Golf League will be around for the long haul and that, despite ongoing legal struggles with both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, that the entity financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund wants to “coexist within the golf ecosystem.”
“I do hope there gets to a position where there is resolution to this, because the game of golf doesn’t need to suffer,” said Norman on Thursday at the Grange Golf Club, the site of his first professional win. “These guys don’t need to suffer.”
“PGA Tour has got a great tour. We’re happy for them. I’m happy for them. I grew up on the PGA Tour. So did Cam. We grew up playing on the European Tour,” said Norman. “I hope they exist and keep existing, but it’s their choice of what they want to do, and if they want to keep putting up road blocks, we’re not going to go anywhere. We’ve got a great product. We’ve got investment dollars there today, investment dollars into the future that will continue to be there because of guys like this.”
To the point of those investment dollars, LIV Golf is financially backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and has long been criticized as a way for the Kingdom to sportswash its controversial human rights record. Saudi Arabia has been accused of politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners. Members of the royal family and Saudi government were accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.
Asked about sportswashing on Wednesday, Bryson DeChambeau said he thought that topic was “kicked that to the curb” after answering questions on the subject last year. When asked why he’s never had a conversation with anyone from the PIF about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, Norman rolled out the company line: Golf is a force for good.
“Because I’m the chairman and CEO of LIV Golf Investments, and that’s where I focus. I focus on golf. I stay focused on golf. My job is to build out LIV and the product we have on a global front,” said a perturbed Norman. “I’ve been involved with golf, like I said, as a player, as well as golf course design.
“I’ve built some golf courses in third-world countries. I’ve built golf courses in Communist countries. Golf is a force for good,” he continued. “It goes everywhere with the right platform because it delivers the right message, from education to hospitality to employment to tourism. Everywhere you go, golf is a force for good.”
Malinauskas defended Australia’s decision to host LIV based on the potential economic impact the event may have on the region and touted how Australia and Saudi Arabia share a $3 billion trading partnership.
“But LIV is not a representative of Saudi Arabia. LIV is a golf tournament. LIV is a golf tour, and it’s shaking things up, and I think that’s a good thing,” said Malinauskas, who insinuated sportswashing is only mentioned as a last line of defense to LIV’s market disruption.
“LIV Golf is here exclusively in its capacity putting on a high-quality and elite golf tournament.”
The phrase “elite golf tournament” could be challenged, especially after Smith, who was seated next to Malinauskas, said at the Masters that LIV’s fields “aren’t as strong” as those on the PGA Tour. After acquiring some of professional golf’s biggest, boldest characters, the offseason additions for this season left something to be desired as just two top-50 players (at the time) made the move in Thomas Pieters (No. 35) and Mito Pereira (No. 50).
Norman boasted that a number of players are still waiting to join LIV, but as for those who didn’t make the 2023 cut over the likes of Pieters, Pereira, Sebastian Munoz and Brendan Steele, those players may add depth to LIV’s 48-player fields, but wouldn’t move the needle.
“There is an incredible amount of interest. We’re full,” said Norman. “Our goal is to build those franchise values out.”
Norman and those at LIV truly believe in its franchise model and that its 12 teams can be profitable, so long as the league is given time to grow and establish its place in golf.
“My legacy of what I’m doing with LIV will be my legacy,” added Norman, “because it’s the right thing to do.”