“It’s Not Far Off”: LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman Comes Clean Off of a Major Allegation By Throwing PGA Tour Players Under the Bus

Greg Norman, the Australian golfing legend, has been a household name in the sport for decades. However, his influence on the sport extends beyond his playing days. 

Norman has created many controversies because of his association with LIV Golf. Although the organization had a rough start this year, it has done pretty well so far. Moreover, the breakaway faction also has a sponsor now. 

Because of the huge paydays and purse prizes provided by the Saudi-backed circuit, they were not able to generate any revenue in their inaugural season. However, now they have taken some corrective measures to improve the situation. The huge paydays are still there and Norman has explained the PGA tour players are not above them as well.

Greg Norman breaks down the LIV Golf annual fee

The Kiwi said that the amount is not that jarring if people look at it on a per tournament basis. “We pay ’em on an annual basis, but when you break it down on a per-tournament basis, it’s not too far off of .”

To explain the concept behind LIV Golf’s huge signing amount to Steven Levitt, the great white shark used Rory McIlroy as an example.

He explained that Rory is paid an appearance fee to play the Dubai Desert Classic, which is assumed to be $2 million. “So when you look at the value — now, that’s one tournament. I don’t know what he gets paid for an appearance fee, but let’s just pick $2 million.”  

Now, if a player like him who has built up his asset value by their great performance, plays 18 tournaments like this in a year, then they would get paid $36 million. And that’s exactly what LIV does, they pay a commitment fee to the players for joining their organization. 

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So, the PGA Tour players are not earning any different from the LIV Tour players. They also charge appearance fees to attend special events.

LIV Golf attracts the younger generation

The 2-time major winner shared an interesting fact that the audience of the PGA Tour is predominantly older, with an average age of 67. 

However, LIV has capitalized on the opportunity by attracting a younger audience. The 2022 season had 60 percent of its viewers being under 45 years old. 

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Moreover, Norman thinks the PGA Tour has failed to attract this audience because of their narrow-minded approach. But, he is pleased that LIV Golf has been able to provide the players and especially the sport the much needed young audience.

What are your thoughts on Norman’s take? Let us know in the comments below.