Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) are reportedly on the lookout for a new CEO to head up the LIV Golf setup, taking over the role from Greg Norman
Jon Rahm once suggested that LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman might have to step aside for the sport to find peace, and it now looks as though the Australian might just be doing that.
On Tuesday, Sports Business Journal reported that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) is seeking a new CEO to lead the LIV Golf enterprise, potentially replacing Norman. The former world number one has been at the helm since the league’s birth two years ago, but he is now expected to take on a different role within the organisation.
Norman has been integral in establishing LIV as a competitor to the PGA Tour over the last three seasons, but has also stirred controversy as a polarising figure in men’s professional golf. Rahm, who joined the Saudi-backed tour after signing an eye-watering $600 million deal last December, had previously commented on Norman’s position before his switch, hinting that removing Norman might be necessary for any reconciliation with the PGA Tour.
Rahm expressed his views back in November 2022, noting: “I think Greg has had a vendetta against the PGA Tour for a long time,” adding “And when you have an ulterior motive, it can cloud your judgment a little bit. Greg is a player, not a businessman, even if he has been successful in that area. To me, he has an ulterior motive beyond just creating a golf tour. He’s had this vengeance for 30 years.”, reports the Mirror US.
“His intentions might not be as pure as they could, which is a problem. So he might not be the best person for the job, even if he has done great things for the tour. I do believe that, for conversations to take place, Greg might need to be gone. Right now, it doesn’t seem like he and Jay [Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner] will want to be in the same room together.”
Rahm then suggested that for the sport to mend fences, either Norman or Monahan would have to step down, though he expressed his backing for Monahan: “Even if they disagreed, it would have been good to talk,” the Spanish ace remarked. So to get a resolution we might need one or both of them gone. I hope not. Jay has done a great job for the PGA Tour.”
Jon Rahm is now a big part of LIV Golf
In June, half a year before Rahm’s comments, the PGA Tour confirmed a tentative agreement with PIF, featuring Monahan and Saudi leader Yasir Al-Rumayyan at the helm of negotiations.
Subsequently, reports emerged that Norman was excluded from the arrangement, casting doubts on his future as LIV CEO. But last October, Norman dismissed any suggestion of his impending exit: “I knew it wasn’t ‘true’,” he asserted regarding the rumours from a year prior.
“There’s so much white noise running around out there, I paid very, very, I actually paid zero attention to it. I know sitting in this seat today, I know every step I’ve made has been for the right reasons, right reasons for the game of golf.”
