After a months-long search, LIV Golf has settled upon its new chief government officer.
A number of stories point out that Scott O’Neil, who held the identical title for the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils from 2013 and 2021, will succeed Norman because the commissioner of LIV Golf. Josh Carpenter of Sports activities Enterprise Journal had it first.
O’Neil most lately served as CEO of Merlin Entertainments, a London-based theme-park conglomerate. However now he’ll be part of LIV and change outgoing CEO Greg Norman, who will transfer into a brand new senior advisory function throughout the Saudi-backed circuit. How a lot affect Norman can have in 2025 and past stays unclear.
After all, the PGA Tour is presently in talks with the Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF), engaged on the way to construction the game’s future. PGA brass, spearheaded by Commissioner Jay Monahan, former board member Jimmy Dunne, and Coverage Board Chairman Ed Herlihy, shockingly introduced a framework settlement with the PIF on Jun. 6, 2023. That deal settled all lawsuits and set the course for each events to strike a concrete, nuanced settlement to settle golf’s present schism between the tour and LIV.
Within the days after the framework settlement turned public, stories emerged that Monahan would take over as LIV’s de facto commissioner and have the ultimate say about its future. However no such occasion has transpired.
As a substitute, LIV has continued to develop, wrapping up its third full yr of operations in 2024—a yr that included the additions of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. Bryson DeChambeau, LIV’s greatest star, shined on the U.S. Open.
The league has already introduced a sturdy 2025 schedule, which once more consists of stops in Saudi Arabia, Adelaide, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The circuit additionally added occasions in South Korea and Indianapolis.
As for Norman, his function because the CEO of LIV since its launch in 2022 has been polarizing. Norman has generally acted belligerently, expressing hostility in direction of the PGA Tour. However that’s to not say these from the tour are harmless, both. Quite a few stakeholders on the PGA Tour facet have publically known as for Norman’s ousting.
“Greg has to go, to begin with,” stated Tiger Woods forward of the 2022 Hero World Challenege.
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“Then we are able to discuss freely, to say the least.”
Rory McIlroy agrees.
“I’ve hung out with [PIF Governor] Yasir al-Rumayyan, and the those that have represented him in LIV, I believe, have completed him a disservice, so [Greg] Norman and people guys,” McIlroy stated after his last spherical on the 2024 Gamers Championship.
“I see the 2 entities, and I believe there’s a extremely massive disconnect between PIF and LIV. I believe you bought PIF over right here, and LIV is form of over right here doing its personal factor. So the nearer we [as the PGA Tour can] get to Yasir, PIF and hopefully finalize that funding, I believe that will probably be a extremely good factor.”
Norman has lengthy envisioned a world tour of high gamers akin to what LIV has developed into right now. He initially laid out his plans for a worldwide league within the mid-Nineties, which Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer scoffed at, per Alan Shipnuck’s LIV and Let Die. McIlroy has known as for one thing related, however his disdain for Norman stays.
Maybe Norman leaving his publish as CEO could velocity up negotiations between the PIF and the PGA Tour. In any case, Mets Proprietor Steve Cohen expressed additional confidence in a deal getting completed this week.
That stated, it stays unclear how O’Neill’s appointment as CEO will affect these discussions—if in any respect. However LIV has a brand new commissioner, one not as polarizing as Norman, which ought to solely assist issues going ahead.
O’Neill’s appointment as the brand new chief government additionally signifies that LIV doesn’t plan to go wherever anytime quickly.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough for extra golf protection. You’ll be able to observe him on Twitter @jack_milko as effectively.
