Former LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has spoken out since his exit from the Saudi-backed league, claiming the breakaway tour’s impact helped boost player earnings across professional golf

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Greg Norman is ‘proud’ of the change he caused as LIV Golf’s CEO and commissioner(Image: David Cannon/Getty Images)

LIV Golf has moved forward without Greg Norman, but the breakaway league’s controversial former CEO believes he has improved conditions for players throughout the sport.

The Australian spearheaded the breakaway from the PGA Tour in 2022 and became a hugely divisive figure in the game. The two-time major champion has a long history of being a disruptor, dating back to his playing days, and the 70 year old says he is “proud” of the change he effected in his three-year tenure as LIV’s commissioner.

Norman was removed by the Saudi Arabia-bankrolled league in January, being replaced by Scott O’Neil, and his association with LIV officially ended in September. The league has implemented a series of sweeping changes since, including a dramatic overhaul of its format.

But Norman believes the seismic shift he caused as the face of the breakaway league has benefited players across both LIV and the PGA Tour.

Prize money has grown significantly due to the competition between the leagues, with billions of private equity dollars invested in the PGA Tour in response to the influx of Saudi cash into the sport, reports the Mirror US.

Norman told the Wall Street Journal he is happy to have made players richer, regardless of which tour they are affiliated with.

“Just look at the impact that it’s had on the PGA Tour,” Norman said. “It’s changed for the betterment of the players.

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Greg Norman left LIV Golf at the start of the year(Image: Getty Images)

“If Scottie Scheffler made $100 million a year, I’d be happy days. I wish I could make $100 million a year off my golf clubs … LIV wasn’t about Greg Norman. LIV was about what was right for the game of golf.”

Scottie Scheffler’s earnings on the PGA Tour total over $99 million, ranking him third on the all-time earnings list, despite only clinching his first event on the American circuit three years ago. The majority of that dough has been pocketed since the PGA Tour upped its prize money.

In an Instagram post sharing the article, Norman elaborated on his sentiments regarding his stint with LIV. He penned: “Being the antihero was never the easy road. But it was the right one.

“I knew stepping into LIV would come with criticism, controversy, and a few closed doors. I did it anyway because I believed all players deserved more – and today, you can see the impact across the entire game. For this I am proud of.”

In a chat with Australian Golf Digest in October, Norman spilled the beans on the toll of his tenure at the helm of LIV. He confessed: “I enjoyed my time at LIV. But I’ll be honest with you, it was hard. It was very draining on me. I was working 100-hour weeks.

“I’m not going to say all the abuse was anything [of consequence], but what hurt me the most was the lack of understanding of why people would judge me and give the abuse they did.

“That was the thing that bothered me the most, because I’m the type of guy who will happily sit down and talk about things. And if I’m wrong, I’ll admit I’m wrong. But don’t judge me. Don’t judge what LIV was truly all about.”