While talks about a possible collaboration between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour remain without concrete results, there is now a new rumor surrounding the league sponsored by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund. As the Sports Business Journal (SBJ) reports based on unspecified sources, LIV Golf is looking for a successor to CEO Greg Norman. The news comes just a few weeks after the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, where PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings and PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan played alongside Rory McIlroy.
The latter had already called for Norman’s resignation earlier this year in favor of better LIV-PGA cooperation, “I think Greg needs to go. I think he just needs to exit stage left. He’s made his mark but I think now is the right time to say you’ve got this thing off the ground but no one’s going to talk unless there’s an adult in the room that can actually try to mend fences.”
LIV Golf: Will Greg Norman Be Replaced soon?
As SBJ reports, the search for a new CEO has been underway for several months. The London agency “Odgers Berndtson” is probably leading the search for the PIF and is looking at sports stars worldwide. This agency has already led the search for new directors and CEOs for Saudi Arabia in other sports, most recently for the soccer club Newcastle United in July of this year.
According to SBJ, Brett Yormak was supposed to have been a possible candidate. The Big 12 Commissioner is said to have already been in talks with the agency, but these were unsuccessful according to reports. The Big 12 is an American collage league consisting of 16 universities with various sports disciplines, including American football and golf.
It is not yet clear exactly what will happen next for Greg Norman. However, international media speculation suggests that he will remain with LIV Golf in the future, but in a new role.