Greg Norman’s exit has lifted the weight off LIV Golf, it seems, as Jay Monahan & Co. have been more accepting of the Saudi-based league. They have also pushed to complete the merger with Yasir Al-Rumayyan and the PIF sooner. Even the new CEO, Scott O’Neil, has been widely accepted by the golf community. In fact, Tiger Woods and his team welcomed the new LIV Golf boss to the TGL arena during the season opener back in January 2025. All this was never considered when Greg Norman was in charge. It’s not that O’Neil has been an absolute hit for LIV Golf as well. His decision to have the event in Riyadh after dark saw the PIF-funded league lose a lot of viewership. Despite a 12,000 viewership average, the new LIV Golf CEO remained in denial as he continued to boast about the success of the tournament.
Nevertheless, the partiality between the two, Norman and O’Neil, is evident. While the Australian was banished from the rest of the golf world, his replacement is being included at the bigger stages of golf. And a prime example was shared on X not so long ago.
Golf Digest’s Top LIV Fanboy, or as he proclaims himself to be, Red Harrington, shared some interesting details recently. From the latest episode of Scott O’Neil’s daughter’s podcast, the LIV Golf CEO shared his extraordinary experience at Augusta National. The tweet read, “In the most recent ‘Girl Dad podcast with Scott O’Neil’, (LIV CEO) Scott O’Neil shared insights about his experience at the Masters. Beyond the usual takeaways from attendees, he provided small details that hint at something more significant: doors being opened to LIV behind closed doors, yet to be fully acknowledged publicly.” Harrington set the stage for what to expect from the remaining tweet as it talks about O’Neil’s time in attendance for the 2025 Masters on the afternoon of 9th April.
In the most recent “Girl Dad podcast with Scott O’Neil”, (LIV CEO) Scott O’Neil shared insights about his experience at the Masters. Beyond the usual takeaways from attendees, he provided small details that hint at something more significant: doors being opened to LIV behind…
— Red Harrington (@RedHarrington44) April 21, 2025
The reporter further added, “One such tidbit was his drive down Magnolia Lane, an experience reserved for VIPs and guests of members. Another was his opportunity to sit and talk with Will Jones (Executive Director of ANGC). Scott spoke glowingly about the time spent with him, even noting, ‘for me to connect with him like that in person was special.’” Being a leader in golf, Scott O’Neil received the respect and recognition that any other CEO or Commissioner in golf would have received at the iconic course.
However, Greg Norman didn’t receive that kind of welcome from the PGA Tour and its associates. That’s what the analyst pointed out as he tweeted, “These nuggets paint a clear picture that his reception was markedly different from that of Greg Norman, who had to purchase badges on the secondary market and whose experience was like that of any other patron. While inferences can sometimes lead to incorrect assumptions, these small admissions, combined with other rumored developments from the week in Georgia, suggest that the fence between LIV and stake holders of golf’s most time-honored April tradition is being mended more than ever before.” The stark difference between the treatment of Scott O’Neil and Greg Norman shows how much more faith the golf community has in the former. At the same time, was the Australian legend treated a bit unfairly?
Not many would say that because it’s a well-known fact that Norman also hated the PGA Tour and everything it stood for equally. In fact, he has often shown that the ill feelings between him and Jay Monahan are quite mutual. Let’s take a look at a few instances where Greg Norman bashed the league managed by his adversary.
Greg Norman attempted to tarnish the PGA Tour’s name
Greg Norman always felt that the PGA Tour didn’t give him his due respect, even when he played there. Especially after the ’96 Masters loss to Nick Faldo, the Australian felt cornered and tried to find a way out of the Tour. Only a couple of years earlier, Norman’s former manager, Hughes Norton, proposed Mark McCormack’s LIV Golf-like league idea to his boss. Impressed by it, the 20x PGAT winner laid it out to Arnold Palmer. To that, the legend replied, “Guys, you do whatever you want. I’m kind of at the end of my career. But… This idea is not for me,” refusing to align himself with Norman. Palmer could probably see through the disrespect he was showing towards the PGA Tour.
Years later, he gained the trust of the PIF leaders. That’s when LIV Golf was formed and eventually launched in mid-2022. Just days before the launch, Norman began openly criticising his former league. “The Tour’s action is anti-golfer, anti-fan, and anti-competitive. But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped,” he said in a statement to Sky Sports. He was furious about the PGA Tour restricting its players from participating in the LIV Golf Invitational. His maneuver to steal talent from the Tour didn’t fail completely. Norman ended up attracting the likes of Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Bryson DeChambeau, and Phil Mickelson. All of them were former major champions. But over the three years, the impact of LIV Golf has toned down, and the PGA Tour has been able to sustain the pressure.
Considering everything, do you think the PGA Tour’s treatment of Greg Norman was unfair? Let us know in the comments section.
