Greg Norman’s time with LIV Golf has come to a close.
The Shark announced Thursday on Instagram that after four years, he had officially closed out his time with LIV Golf, ending a tenure that saw him spend three years as CEO, where he helped the league get off the ground. This year, he worked more in the shadows while new CEO Scott O’Neil was at the forefront of a new TV deal, revamped schedule and a part of numerous multi-year sponsorship deals.
“Together, we built a movement that changed the game globally,” Norman wrote in the post. “We created opportunities for both players and fans and broaden the ecosystem of golf. We truly globalized the game and expanded golf’s reach to fans around the world. We brought entertainment, innovation and private equity into golf (including to the PGA Tour) positioning the sport as an asset class. It’s been an incredible chapter, and I’m so proud of what we accomplished. My commitment to do what was and still is, the right thing for golf, the players and fans never waivered.”
What’s next for Greg Norman?
The Shark also teased something coming soon, saying stay tuned for what’s next and that there are exciting times ahead.
During Norman’s tenure, he helped the league add a 13th team and move to 54 individuals after only 48 competed the first two years. He helped expand the league to numerous cities outside of the United States, like Adelaide, Hong Kong, Singapore and more.
LIV’s presence under Norman is also a big reason why purses increased on the PGA Tour, and there’s more money in the professional game than ever before, but the future remains murky as to what’s next for both leagues.
However, there were also plenty of tumultuous times with his reign, including him boasting about the league’s ascension with outlandish claims, butting heads with numerous organizations and more.
Since O’Neil has taken over as CEO, the league has seen strong growth in its fourth year in the golf ecosystem, and as talks of a deal with the PGA Tour have seemingly disappeared since being near the finish line earlier this year, O’Neil’s prerogative has been to set LIV Golf up for long-term success. The league is still marching forward and planning for sustained growth in the coming years.
Whether that will happen remains a mystery. As for Norman, he’ll have to watch from afar.
