Editor’s Note: Golf Inc. reached out to four of the most powerful people in golf, including Greg Norman, who has made the most waves in the past year. Here are his thoughts on the future of the business.
With the benefit of a year’s hindsight and many years in the industry as a whole, what are some things LIV might have done differently in its inaugural year? What changes might we see in 2023 and beyond?
2022 was our “beta” year, so we learned a lot, but we also got a lot of things right and the players and their families and caddies have been very vocal about their appreciation of our approach. Most importantly, the fans have been hugely supportive about our product.
For 2023 and beyond, we will continue to improve the LIV experience for everyone, because that’s what it’s all about. We recognize that there’s a tremendous amount of room to grow with professional golf fans, and we are changing, and will continue to change, this critical aspect of the sport in the years ahead. With this in mind, we will continue to grow our network of partners with a “fan first” mentality, and I firmly believe that we will see changes that none of us can even imagine. There’s also no denying that we would be so much further along if the PGA and DP World Tours had not fought us at every turn. And when the PGA Tour threatened their players and others with the ultimatum of bans if they joined LIV, they drew a line in the sand that did great damage to LIV, players, and the game itself. I think we could have found ways to work together; we were certainly open to doing so.
In looking at the impact on golf courses, what courses will be hosting LIV tournaments in 2023?
We are currently finalizing arrangements with several of our venues for 2023, so I’m not at liberty to announce those ahead of time, but I can tell you that we are truly an international tour, and our schedule will reflect that. We’ll have five or six international events next year, along with eight or nine tournaments in the United States, so stay tuned for the specific announcement.
What are the biggest challenges for the year ahead?
No doubt about it, our challenges are identifying the appropriate broadcast partner and getting OWGR (official world golf ranking) points for our players. We’re optimistic about a broadcast partner. But the current OWGR system is fatally flawed until it gives points to LIV golfers. There are many very influential people in golf who recognize how OWGR is badly…
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