Before Rory McIlroy had a softening of heart, he was truly a PGA Tour loyalist and still is; this is why he said he would never join the breakaway circuit, but he has come around to see the bigger picture. Something he did not do back in the day. He started as a LIV hater, and in June 2023, he even said, “I hate what it’s doing to the game of golf; I hate it. I really do. I still hate LIV. I hope it goes away.”
In 2022, before LIV Golf’s inaugural event, Greg Norman publicly claimed that Rory McIlroy was “brainwashed by the PGA Tour.” The reason? Norman did not give any. But one could assume that it was because the Northern Irishman could have rejected the offer the Australian veteran would have made or how McIlroy would have failed to see Norman’s vision. But now, the 4x major winner sees somewhat differently.
He does not dislike LIV Golf and golfers very much. He even feels that unifying LIV and PGA Tour would provide what is best for the game and fans. But was it always like that? The simple answer would be no. In 2022, Norman did not just target McIlroy but also the 18x major winner, Jack Nicklaus.
As per Norman, Nicklaus told LIV Golf on two occasions that he wasn’t interested. But that is now how it seemed to the CEO of the Saudi-funded circuit: “Nicklaus attended a LIV presentation and later wrote in an email that the new tour had his blessing.” Through an email, he also replied to LIV, saying, “Quote-unquote, he said: ‘This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me.’” But why was Norman so furious at Jack Nicklaus? Why did he call him a hypocrite? That’s because of something Golden Bear said before Norman’s interview in 2022.
In an exclusive interview with Golf Week 2 years ago, when asked about him being approached by LIV and offered $100 million, Nicklaus clearly said, “They obviously called me. And we’ve had a contract on a golf course in Saudi Arabia for over a couple of years. Essentially the same group. They came into the Bear’s Club. We met a couple of guys. John Rees and Paul Stringer from the Nicklaus Companies were there because we were doing the golf course, and they proposed this thing to me. I did it out of courtesy to them because we’re doing a golf course for them. I’ve got zero interest in wanting to do something like that. I don’t care what kind of money they would have thrown at me. My allegiance has been to the PGA Tour. I grew up on the PGA Tour. I helped found the PGA Tour as it is today. My allegiance is there and it’s going to stay there.”
At the time, Norman also disclosed that Tiger Woods had received a “mind-blowingly enormous” offer from LIV Golf. Which was apparently in the “high nine digits.” However, Woods declined the offer, reiterating his dedication to the PGA Tour. Norman believed that money is the driving force behind the LIV Golf series, as he said, “The players who decide to come on board, God bless them. They’re going to make a lot of money.”
LIV golfers have indeed made a lot of money, and well, thanks to LIV, so have players on the PGA Tour.
How did LIV Golf’s high-pay culture affect the golf community?
This season, LIV Golf ran its third season and second full campaign in Mexico with a total of 54 players. And over the years, it has made a huge impact on the golf community, monetary! Every LIV event offers a humongous prize of $25 million, where the individual winner takes home a whopping $4 million. You might also know that every playing member of the field gets a share of the purse. Now, before LIV, the PGA Tour had no concept of such high purses. But that is not the case anymore.
Last year, the American Tour launched the concept signature events, offering a $20 million purse, and even had a few no-cut events. Additionally, the Comcast bonus and PIP bonus were also added to the mix to keep the pros motivated monetarily so that money does not become the driving force in switching ships.
So, LIV has truly affected the money game of golf, and it is something Norman kind of already predicted. What do you think of the change in the monetary scenario of golf? How do you think LIV has impacted golf in general?
