Will Greg Norman’s decision to withdraw his request for ranking points from the Official World Golf Ranking prove to be disastrous for LIV Golf and its players in the long run? Most likely, it will.
The 54 LIV Golf players’ request for a rating system was denied by the OWGR in October of the previous year. Greg Norman said that the LIV pros deserved more after retracting the additional appeal in March 2024. The 54-hole competitions rather than the 72-hole ones were one of the reasons the OWGR was unable to provide rating points for the LIV field. The league, however, is determined about keeping the rule as is.
The Bleacher Report cited the Spaniard as saying in April, “If there ever was a way where LIV could move to 72 holes, I think it would help all of this issue a lot,” despite the fact that their star player, Jon Rahm, believed it would benefit the league. He went on to say that he wouldn’t mind returning to the conventional format, which may solve a lot of LIV Golf’s problems, including those pertaining to majors and the OWGR. When players place greater value on majors than on LIV Golf events, the Great White Shark ought to think about how to provide them with a better path.
When Brooks Koepka triumphed in his second LIV Golf event in Greenbrier this season, someone asked him if he felt that his season had improved in general. To everyone’s amazement, however, the five-time major winner disagreed, saying that his season wasn’t as successful because “the four majors were quite disappointing.” Koepka was therefore dissatisfied despite earning the two LIV victories, demonstrating how majors are significantly more significant for golfers.
Thus, it will become much more difficult in the future for the 54 players to qualify for the majors, as it now is, if Greg Norman sticks to his OWGR attitude and ignores the opportunity to alter the league’s structure. However, there are other problems pounding on Norman’s door. The breakaway circuit might benefit more from more investment and format changes.
Greg Norman makes an unforgettable impression on LIV Golf Greenbrier spectators.
This season, the golf industry has suffered greatly from declining ratings, whether it is on the PGA Tour or LIV Golf. However, it could be more detrimental to the breakaway circuit than the PGA Tour. In contrast, the St. Jude Championship on the Tour drew 2.2 million viewers—a sharp decrease of 1 million from the previous year—while LIV Golf failed to reach the 200k mark.
On CW Network, LIV Golf Greenbrier drew 136k views on Saturday and 165k viewers on Sunday. The ratings of LIV Golf’s CW Network and the PGA Tour diverge significantly, indicating that the disruptive league is having difficulty. The answer? Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time US Open champion, recommended that the league collaborate with a broadcaster. He stated, “It’s crucial [TV partner], but they don’t really listen to me on that,” in an interview with GOLF Magazine.
The unintentionally postponed PIF and PGA Tour merger is another remedy the Norman-led league is waiting on. In addition, DeChambeau underlined the necessity of the merger and clarified that, had he been able, he would have contacted the PGA Tour and requested a meeting to complete the merger. Even Rory McIlroy, a pro on the PGA Tour, expressed his support for merging the men’s field, stating that it would benefit both sides. Greg Norman is currently not in favour of the merger or the OWGR. Furthermore, there are still more issues surrounding LIV Golf’s future than there are solutions due to their reluctance to make changes to the format.
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