Less than two months before its first event in London, the Greg Norman-led LIV Golf Invitational Series continues to evolve.
What Norman’s group is now selling – eight events featuring some of the top global amateurs, tour players and legacy players – is different from the audacious plan announced last year built around landing many of the game’s top stars in a direct threat to the PGA and DP World tours.
Taking advantage of name, image and likeness (NIL) allowances, Norman’s group has sent letters to 10 top amateurs offering them spots in the new circuit, which has eight $25 million events this year.
Additionally, Norman’s group has dropped plans to have professionals become members of the LIV Golf Invitational Series for two years, instead offering the opportunity to play as many or as few events as they choose, with the promise of big-money paydays.
The PGA Tour has indicated it would permanently suspend any player who joins the new league, which will feature 54-hole events with a built-in team concept. The DP World Tour, which deals with different anti-trust laws, has not specifically said how it might respond to any players who might play these events without a waiver.
Norman’s group has said it will challenge the legality of any such suspensions.
By incentivizing amateurs to play the new series, Norman’s group has shifted at least part of the focus away from the game’s top stars.
Players potentially could apply for a release from the PGA Tour to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in England, but the tour does not allow waivers for events played in the United States.
By incentivizing amateurs to play the new series, Norman’s group has shifted at least part of the focus away from the game’s top stars. Norman repeatedly has said many of the game’s top professional players are expected to sign up for the new league, but none has publicly committed yet.
According to a source at LIV Golf Investments, the group is in final contract negotiations with 25 tour players to play one or multiple events. The full field for the first event – June 9-11 at the Centurion Club northwest of London – will be announced in late May.
By including a number of amateurs in the new events, the first tournament will not offer Official World Golf Ranking points. It’s unclear whether subsequent events will qualify for world-ranking points.
In a recent interview with The Telegraph, Norman said he spoke with Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley but was told there would be no need to talk further until Norman’s group had resolved its issues with the game’s other leading organizations.
During his pre-Masters press conference, Ridley voiced support for the professional game’s current structure.“I would start by saying that our mission is always to act in the best interests of the game in whatever form that may take,” Ridley said. “I think that golf’s in a good place right now. There’s more participation. Purses on the professional tours are the highest they have ever been.“We have been pretty clear in our belief that the world tours have done a great job in promoting the game over the years. Beyond that, there’s so much that we don’t know about what might happen or could happen that I just don’t think I could say much more beyond that.”
Ron Green Jr.