Shark denies TV fears
LIV Golf deal hopes
GREG Norman has denied that broadcasters are wary of signing up with LIV Golf because of anti-saudi protests, and says he is confident a deal will be done before the start of next year’s 14-stop league.
The LIV Golf commissioner also suggested that Peter Dawson, the chairman of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), believes that the Saudi-bankrolled breakaway should get points. That is a major stumbling block for the rebel series as many players qualify for the majors via their ranking. Norman intimated that the LIV chiefs would consider introducing a cut to boost their chances of getting points.
So far LIV Golf events have been shown on Youtube and the company website, but Norman said: “We are in those discussions with a handful of broadcasters. We anticipate having (them) coming in before the start of the 2023 season. We do know that a lot of the broadcasters looking at us are very bullish about what we are delivering.”
Asked if any had been put off by protests by the relatives of 9/11 victims at US events, he gave a categoric: “No.”
Norman rejected reports of terrible viewing figures, with some trackers suggesting YouTube audiences were as low as 13,000 a day, insisting they ignored numbers from LIV’S website and 180 overseas channels. He said the average audience was about a million a day.
Norman said his series was looking for about seven new players for next season and they were talking to some in the world’s top 10. That would seem to back up rumours that Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele, the world No.4 and No.6 respectively, could be the next to jump.
There was more criticism of the PGA Tour, too. “The ones on LIV feel they are liberated and the players we are talking to on the PGA Tour want to be liberated,” Norman said.
“We built our business model to work within the ecosystem, we did not build our business model to do what others have tried to do and kill us off. The ball is in their (PGA Tour) court. It’s very disappointing to come up with this vitriol, this ill will. The PGA created this angst. Why does competition create this heartburn?”
Norman also welcomed the statement from R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers that no LIV players would be banned from the Open, which will be played at Royal Liverpool next year.