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Another domino has fallen in professional golf’s changing of the guard, as Greg Norman announced he has officially left LIV Golf.
“After four unforgettable years, I have officially closed out my time with LIV Golf, and reflecting with nothing but gratitude, pride and achievement,” Norman wrote on social media Wednesday.
Norman served as LIV’s CEO and commissioner from October 2021 until this January, when he relinquished day-to-day management of the league to new CEO Scott O’Neil. His contract expired at the end of August, and he has largely been out of the public eye this year.
“Together, we built a movement that changed the game globally,” Norman’s exit announcement read. “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 [sic].”
Norman’s brash leadership style and harsh criticism of the PGA Tour made for a contentious relationship with his counterpart Jay Monahan, who has been commissioner of the PGA Tour since 2017, but in June announced he is also stepping down to make way for new CEO Brian Rolapp. Like Norman, Monahan has already given up his previous day-to-day duties as commissioner, but his contract with the PGA Tour runs through the end of 2026.
Moving forward, it will be Rolapp and O’Neil who will be tasked with leading any reunification efforts for the men’s professional game. However, neither has indicated that facilitating a merger of the rival tours is a high priority.
Earlier this year, it appeared momentum for a reunion was building, thanks to meetings at the White House facilitated by President Donald Trump, but that positive chatter has since died down. On Sunday, among the officials accompanying Trump at the US Open men’s tennis final was Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which bankrolls LIV. Last month, Rolapp said he had not yet spoken with anyone from the PIF.
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