Biggest story of 2022 is and will remain the formation of LIV Golf and the scheming of its current man-in-charge — Greg Norman.
To get a grasp of Norman and his long-standing grudge with the PGA Tour, you need to go all the way back to the fall season of 1994.
It was at Sherwood Country Club where the “Shark Shootout” was taking place. It was there that Norman proposed a “world tour” with limited fields and huge purses.
At the time, Norman was cocky and confident that his plan would be totally embraced as he gathered the top players at that time to unveil his concept. What Norman didn’t anticipate was a passionate speech by Arnold Palmer against Norman’s “concept.” And back then, when Arnold Palmer spoke — everyone listened.
The players Norman thought he had in his back pocket, turned on him and his idea. Of course the PGA Tour offered zero support.
Today, nearly 30 years later, the world of professional golf has issues, to say the least.
This LIV tour wasn’t exactly Norman’s idea. It was hatched in England and without support from any other tours, the proposed “Premier Golf League” — never got any traction.
Norman took that idea, hatched by others and made it his own. He found his sugar-daddies (The Saudis) and the golf landscape was divided by the upstart league (LIV) that paid huge amounts of upfront money for PGA Tour players to join.
Defector-In-Chief was Phil Mickelson, who bad-mouthed the Saudis then turned around and gladly accepted a huge chunk of change to leave the PGA Tour. As it turned out, Mickelson, as part of his LIV “deal” — did Norman’s dirty work and recruited other players from the PGA Tour.
It doesn’t take a PhD in psychology to understand Norman’s motivation. It’s difficult not to see LIV as more than a vendetta from Norman, who has been a betrayer-in-the-works for 28 years.
Within the walls of LIV, the paint is peeling.
Norman has made boast-after-boast, promise-after-promise — a television deal, corporate partners, world ranking points for his band of rogues. None of which happened when he basically guaranteed they were done deals.
Norman found an ally, if you want to call him that, in former President Donald Trump.
Trump is a kindred spirit of Norman in the fact that he can really hold a grudge and he found a big one when the PGA Of America moved its 2022 PGA Championship last May from Trump’s Bedminster course to Southern Hills in Tulsa.
Now Trump has joined Norman in the axe-grinding against the PGA of America and the PGA Tour although Trump’s popularity is falling faster than Norman’s.
Norman has convinced his Saudi partners to spend more money on lawsuits against the PGA Tour.
This coming year will be the Year Of Litigation in golf as the Tour mounts its legal defense against Norman’s accusations of conspiracy.
The Tour has been accused of conspiring with everyone to keep LIV players out of the major championships among other conspiracy-formed deeds.
That hasn’t happened. The Masters will allow Norman’s Rogues to play. So will the R&A, declaring all who are currently eligible, can play in the 2023 Open Championship. Ditto for the USGA and the PGA of America hasn’t cast any stones as far as its 2023 championship goes.
LIV suffered a defection of its own recently, as Chief Operating Office Atul Khosla jumped off the ship earlier this month.
Still, Norman’s band plays on.
There will no doubt be more promises from The Lamest Commission In All The Land (Norman) to his Saudi backers.
Kholsa’s departure is just a indicator that all is not well behind closed doors.
So soon it will be Hello 2023.
The Great Golf Divide continues.
For now.
