Greg Norman says he has held regular meetings with female players over the potential for LIV Golf to expand into a women’s tour.
The men’s tour is just under a year in existence with Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka the star names to have left the PGA Tour for the Saudi backed organisation. However, the influx of top players has not been as plentiful as LIV CEO Norman would have envisaged – although he remains bullish that top PGA Tour players want to join – but attracting the leading female players in the game might be easier.
The LPGA and Ladies European Tour players already take part in the PIF Aramco Team Series with one event taking place in Saudi Arabia although they don’t receive anywhere near the same scrutiny as their male counterparts for doing the same thing.
Norman was speaking ahead of this week’s LIV Golf event in Adelaide, Australia where he revealed a women’s LIV Tour might surface sooner rather than later.
The opening women’s major of the year, the Chevron Championship begins today.
“That is a discussion we have internally on a regular basis,” said Norman. “I have personally had discussions with individual LPGA Tour players, LET Tour players, Ladies European Tour. They love what our product is showcasing. They ask all the time, how can we get involved, we’d love to see a LIV ladies series.
“From our perspective last year was a beta season. We had eight events. This year was our first season where we’re kicking off. We can only drink out of a fire hydrant so much, so we have a lot of opportunities and initiatives coming across our plate. Our focus is to make sure this year we produce what we’re producing here from day one, 2023, and then going forward we’re looking what are the best opportunities to build on to what we have today.
“The answer to the question is yes, we talk about it internally, and I have had discussions with individual lady players, professional players.”
While LIV has struggled to encourage some of the game’s top players to join for the second season coupled with consistently poor performances in tournaments from their star names, the Australian is still confident that the tour will only get better.
“Look, we are not going anywhere. LIV is here for a long, long period of time. We’ve said that from the outset. Also from the outset we’ve also said that we want to coexist within the golf ecosystem.
“From our perspective or my perspective, it’s product. We have a product that the fans want. We have a product that the state government of South Australia wants. We have a product the corporations and television wants. You have other products, as well, too. You have the PGA TOUR, you have the DP World Tour, you have the Asian Tour, you have the Japanese Tour. Happy days to all that. There’s nothing wrong with that.
“We encouraged since day one wanting the Cam Smiths of the world and every one of our other 47 players to go play other tournaments they want. If they want to stay with LIV and solely LIV, happy days, that’s your choice as an independent contractor.
“But consistently from day one, we’ve tried to work with both tours to make sure that we are here for a long, long period of time. We want to be part of the system, your system, as much as you be part of our system. They’ve made their decision. We’ve made our decision to showcase to the world the product that we truly have, the business model that really works, and I hope everybody here really unpacks that business model, which is the franchise model.
“Look what Kerry packer did with cricket. God bless him; he sits on my right shoulder every day. Trust me, every day. He goes, son, you’re doing a good bloody job. I would say another word he always says, but…
“So I know the value of what we recognize as investors into the game of golf. We know the value or the starvation of golf has not delivered, which is the franchise value.
“Cam Smith, the leader of the Rippers, his future is incredible, not only as an individual player but an owner of a team. Nobody is really focusing in on that, that we, LIV, identified that opportunity, and that’s the product. That’s the ability.
“PGA TOUR has got a great tour. We’re happy for them. I’m happy for them. I grew up on the PGA TOUR. So did Cam. We grew up playing on the European Tour. I hope they exist and keep existing, but it’s their choice of what they want to do, and if they want to keep putting up road blocks, we’re not going to go anywhere. We’ve got a great product. We’ve got investment dollars there today, investment dollars into the future that will continue to be there because of guys like this.
“We see the value that they can deliver, and we see the undervalue of what their worth is today as independent contractors in the sport of golf.”
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