LIV Golf boss Greg Norman has successfully dominated out a second Australian occasion however conceded his tour was “completely separate” to ongoing negotiations between the Saudi Public Funding Fund and US PGA Tour that would form the game’s future panorama.
Addressing a sequence of LIV points in Adelaide on Wednesday, Norman additionally confirmed Rory McIlroy’s assertion that he was by no means supplied a contract to hitch the rival tour however stated officers could be “100 per cent” completely satisfied to sit down down and speak with him.
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McIlroy, whose stance on LIV has softened this yr, declared his allegiance to the PGA Tour for all times in response to the rumours.
Norman additionally revealed one other “prime, prime” participant” rejected a suggestion however that wouldn’t dissuade him from speaking to the world’s greatest gamers.
“LIV by no means put a suggestion to him. We didn’t must make a remark about this. That is simply typical white noise that will get on the market within the business,” Norman stated of the reported McIlroy supply.
“If Rory was prepared to sit down down and have a dialog with us, would we be completely satisfied to sit down down with him? 100 per cent, no completely different than some other participant who could be thinking about approaching and taking part in with us.
“I’ve sat down with one prime, prime PGA Tour participant in his home with one other member of my workforce, strolling via the entire course of, and he was so impressed.
“However he made the choice. He referred to as me up two days later and stated, ‘I’ve determined to remain the place I’m at’. I stated, ‘Completely satisfied days. You decided on reality. Your door is all the time open; if you wish to come again and have a dialog with us, completely satisfied to do this’.”
The success of the inaugural Australian LIV occasion moved different governments round Australia to declare their curiosity in probably internet hosting a second LIV match, however Norman stated the “partnership” created in Adelaide was sufficient for them for now. The Adelaide occasion is locked in till 2026.
“Has there been curiosity from different states? Sure, completely there’s been curiosity in different states,” he stated.
“However we had been in South Australia first, the Premier took it on, the duty of taking over LIV proper from the outset not too certain concerning the consequence, and now as a result of he’s carried out that and since South Australia has carried out that, we’ve received to have a look at that into the longer term as nicely too.”
That future may but be decided by what have develop into delayed negotiations between the PIF and PGA Tour over the “framework settlement” that would decide what the game seems like around the globe.
The unique date for a finalised model of December 31 final yr was shifted out, however Norman stated he had no visibility on the talks or what they meant for LIV.
“I’d love to present you perception however I don’t have any. We at LIV are completely separate to that a part of the negotiation. We at LIV are a stand-alone firm being invested by the identical investor within the recreation of golf,” he stated.
“Funding {dollars} are flowing into the sport of golf for the correct causes, not for the mistaken causes. Our investor wished to speculate into LIV as a result of he beloved the chance of the franchise mannequin, what he may do with it and the way we will construct it out on a world platform.
“So me particularly, I don’t know what’s occurring over there. I actually don’t wish to know what’s occurring over there as a result of we’re so fixated on rising and growing and constructing out what LIV is right now and searching and doing our schedule for 2025 and going into 2026.”