LIV Golf bosses target Greg Norman replacement as breakaway league set for major shake-up

Greg Norman has been the antheral successful complaint of LIV Golf since the league's formation, but the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia are connected the lookout to regenerate him arsenic CEO

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) have identified erstwhile Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment CEO Scott O’Neil arsenic a imaginable replacement for LIV Golf brag Greg Norman.

Earlier this month, it was reported by Sports Business Journal (SBJ) that the Saudi chiefs were connected the hunt to regenerate Norman arsenic CEO, who has led the league since its enactment successful 2021. And present SBJ person claimed those successful complaint of LIV person held talks with O'Neil implicit taking the role.

O'Neil near Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment successful 2021 to instrumentality up a relation with Merlin Entertainments, the taxable parkland elephantine who ain some Alton Towers and Legoland.

On Wednesday however, it was reported by Sky News that O'Neil would beryllium stepping down from his relation successful charge. It present appears that the erstwhile brag of the Philadelphia 76ers is holding discussions to instrumentality implicit Norman's relation astatine LIV, with the erstwhile world No. 1 expected to beryllium deployed elsewhere wrong the league.

It would beryllium to beryllium rather the shake-up by PIF, who pledged their backing down Norman to make men's nonrecreational golf's newest tour. Despite immoderate setbacks, the Australian has been capable to make the circuit successful a abbreviated abstraction of time, drafting successful immoderate of the biggest names successful the athletics including Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm.

Norman has undoubtedly played a immense relation successful the league's accelerated emergence successful caller years, but has seemingly been near retired of negotiations with the ongoing model agreement being worked retired by LIV bosses and their rivals implicit astatine the PGA Tour.

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With his aboriginal up successful the air, Norman claimed successful a caller interrogation that he had a declaration arsenic the league's CEO until 2025, and was acceptable to honour it. "I'll reply it this way: My declaration is done August of 2025. My committedness to LIV has been unquestioned and my committedness into the aboriginal is besides unquestioned," helium told Sports Illustrated.

"Time volition tell. Will determination beryllium a alteration successful my role? My presumption and my relation is to present 2025 and get our docket done and each the things we request to do." He besides went connected to code the anticipation of a bid woody with the PGA Tour, adding: "I tin lone talk connected LIV's behalf and we're moving guardant irrespective [of a deal].

"Would it marque things easier? Yes, it would," helium noted. "Whether it's a twelvemonth oregon now. I volition spell to my sedate wondering astir those archetypal 18 months [with LIV] and why. Knowing wherever we are today. Knowing the acceptance of what LIV Golf is today. Why did it person to beryllium that way?

"You beryllium backmost and spot each the radical successful the manufacture who created this angst. I conscionable privation I could spell backmost successful clip and revisit the start. And knowing what they cognize would they person done things differently. I stake they would have." LIV are presently successful their offseason, aft their 2024 run came to an extremity successful September.