Golf just got weirder. It wasn’t long ago that the idea of Rory McIlroy praising Greg Norman was absurd, but here he was on Thursday complimenting his fellow multiple major winner after LIV Golf confirmed the Australian was replaced as general manager.
Telegraph sport revealed two months ago that the Saudi-funded tour was appointing Scott O’Neil to take the reins, with Norman being moved upstairs after a very turbulent three years.
The news has finally been made official and O’Neil – the highly respected sports and entertainment executive whose most recent role was running the conglomerate in charge of Legoland and Alton Towers – is already in charge.
In the statement, Norman struck a positive tone and LIV insisted the change at the top was free of acrimony. The 70-year-old’s contract expires in August and he will remain on the board and in an as-yet undefined role.
Yet as negotiations continue for a peace deal between the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour, Norman’s days of taking on the establishment — and those he called them “the cheerleaders of the tour” – is over. Just like McIlroy’s inflammatory responses, as the lead spokesperson against LIV and its inflammatory commissioner.
“Greg obviously took a lot of criticism in the first two years of LIV,” McIlroy said here at the Dubai Desert Classic after posting an opening 70, five back from a group over seven under, including crack American amateur David Ford. “He’s probably one of the only people in golf who can take on that role. So he managed to take off and you have to congratulate him for that. Now it’s time for someone with a little more experience in this area to take over. »
If his final point was a distant echo of McIlroy’s famous rebuke in November 2022 when he called on Norman to leave the LIV hot seat – “Greg should exit stage left because no one will speak unless he there is an adult in the room. – then the general feeling is just an extension of the Northern Irishman’s change of heart regarding the breakaway league.
For the betterment of the game and a unified global calendar, McIlroy urged the PGA Tour to reach an agreement with the PIF, although like everyone else, he isn’t sure exactly what a resolution would look like or work. And with the appointment of O’Neil, the American who has previously led sports franchises such as the New York Knicks, Philadelphia Eagles and New Jersey Devils, McIlroy believes the Saudis will not sacrifice LIV in the new order. .
“I honestly don’t know what the future holds for them, but the steps they’re taking, especially from a management standpoint, don’t look like they’re going away anytime soon,” said McIlroy. “Scott has an incredible track record and has the qualifications to lead a sports league. So yeah, I think for LIV it’s probably a good thing now that they’re established.
No doubt, LIV’s detractors will describe this as a bad decision for the Great White Shark, but he remains close to Yasir Al-Rumayyan, PIF governor and LIV president, who in the statement celebrated his influence and leadership. success.
As McIlroy pointed out, Norman played a vital role in the formation of the newcomer circuit that irrevocably altered the landscape of professional golf. Certainly, the two-time Open champion has sparked huge controversy for some of his remarks – “Everyone makes mistakes,” he replied at the LIV launch when asked if he could justify working for a Kingdom which, in 2018, ordered the butchery of journalist Jamal. Khashoggi – and has never been less than confrontational in his barbs on tours, as well as at all four majors.
However, Norman was the perfect disruptor as he himself had first proposed the idea of a separatist global league in the 90s and had significant ties to some of the notable names LIV had been able to secure during its raids billion-dollar talent including Dustin Johnson, Cam Smith, Sergio Garcia and Lee Westwood.
Norman was indeed a victim of McIlroy and Tiger Woods, but as a golf superstar in his own right, he refused to back down. Despite the Saudi billions, LIV needed his optimism and chutzpah and he vowed to continue trying to aid the progress of what will always be called his unruly baby.
“I’m excited to hand over the day-to-day management baton and continue to help do everything I can to grow LIV Golf,” Norman said in parting words. “Long LIV Golf.”