LIV Golf are said to be close to appointing a new CEO and commissioner.
Greg Norman’s stint as LIV Golf’s CEO appears to be coming towards an end (Image: Getty)
LIV Golf are reportedly looking at sacking its CEO with the steps to appoint a replacement having ramped up in recent weeks. repetition of ‘step’
Greg Norman has held the role of CEO since the league was founded in 2021, but reports last month suggested the LIV bigwigs were looking to move on.
It’s now being claimed LIV have secured their replacement, with Scott O’Neil being touted as the most likely option.
Sky News reported on Tuesday that the CEO of Merlin Entertainments, which runs theme parks including Alton Towers and Legoland has stepped down.
It is hinted Martin had left the position to take an ‘undisclosed role’ elsewhere, with The Sports Business Journal revealing O’Neil was in ‘advanced talks’ to take over from Norman as LIV Golf head-honcho.
It’s also suggested Norman is expected to take up the league’s commissioner role, which is also currently held by Norman.
Norman has proved influential in getting LIV Golf where it is following the 2021 launch, but the Australian has also been praised for his impact on the sport as a player in the past.
Former player and current golf analyst David Feherty had likened Norman as a player to 15-time major winner Tiger Woods.
Speaking in an interview with National Club Golfer, Feherty said: “His fingerprints are all over this and always will be. People forget at times that before Tiger Woods, there was Greg Norman who brought that level of fitness.
“The guy won more than 100 tournaments around the world. He was Tiger Woods before Tiger Woods.”
Feherty added: “He was the most recognisable personality on the planet for a long time, with his long blonde hair and swashbuckling moves on the golf course.
“He’s an amazing character, larger than life and if he does take a different position within the organisation, his influence is always going to be felt no matter where he is in the organisation.”
The change at the top of the LIV hierarchy comes amid an ongoing tussle between the Saudi-backed golf league and the PGA Tour.
It’s been 18 months since the two organisations, along with the DP World Tour, agreed on an initial framework that sought to end golf’s ongoing civil war.
Close to two years later little progress appears to have been made, with negotiations surrounding the agreement rumbling on without much success.
