Greg Norman has seen golf weather its share of power struggles. From being a renowned PGA Tour golfer loved by all to LIV Golf CEO hated by many, he has seen it all. But his recent remarks suggest that the sport has reached a level where unification doesn’t matter anymore, at least not for him. And that’s because what he wanted to achieve is already in motion.

“Will the PGA Tour LIV get together? It doesn’t matter anymore, right? They both found their footing. Their foundation is there. Private equity’s here, private equity is there. I’m happy,” said Greg Norman on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast.

Norman served as LIV Golf’s inaugural CEO until early 2025, when Scott O’Neil took over. The Australian golfer had recently clarified that his ambition behind joining LIV was not to destroy the PGA Tour. That’s a narrative that, according to him, the golf media has created. He, on the other hand, just wanted to create a better opportunity for golfers to create generational wealth.

In a conversation with Mark Bouris, Norman revealed how the PGA Tour holds the intellectual property rights of PGA Tour members. Notably, back in the day, even the prize money was not that great. Therefore, he joined LIV to bring private equity to the sport. He reflected on the same on the Beyond23 Cricket Podcast, too.

“My whole objective was to give the players more opportunity to make more money. How do we do that? You have to create competition. And at the end of the day, when you look at what happened with LIV, with the private equity coming in, substantial billions of dollars into it, it went all in the right direction, right? And it created this competitive landscape for the players and the institutions in a lot of ways because they had to step back and take a look, and now look where it is today. They’ve also made changes because of it. They have had private equity coming in. So you go hallelujah, that’s what it’s all about,” Greg Norman said.

LIV’s inception has done wonders for golfers on every tour. Firstly, the purse money has increased significantly over the years. Besides that, the PGA Tour has also introduced a program to allow some golfers to hold private equity in the organization. This can enable PGA Tour members to build more wealth over the years.

Greg Norman also pointed out how LIV doesn’t hold a golfer’s IP rights. He cited the example of Bryson DeChambeau and how he could have his own YouTube channel because of this. PGA Tour golfers can’t do that because of the IP rights limitation.

The Australian’s comment on the merger comes amid ongoing delays. The merger news first came to highlight in 2023, when Jay Manohan and Yasir Al-Rumayyan announced a collaboration framework. It was done so secretly that even Norman had no idea about it until 5 minutes before the news was on the internet. The merger was supposed to happen on December 31, 2023. However, the merger is still stalled.

LIV Golf reportedly offered $1.5 billion deal for the merger, but to no avail. Even Donald Trump got involved to resolve the issue, but there’s still no progress. But it does not matter anymore to Greg Norman because golfers on both the PGA Tour and LIV Golf now have an opportunity to create generational wealth.

The former LIV Golf CEO even gave the example of the Indian Premier League (IPL), reflecting on how it has benefited athletes and the sport itself. The worth of the teams playing in the IPL has increased multifold since the league started back in 2008. And Norman is happy that, although not at the same level, golfers and the game of golf also have similar opportunities now.

While Greg Norman helped golfers become wealthier by building competition, the new CEO aims to stay away from combative tactics.

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Differences between Greg Norman and Scott O’Neil’s leadership

Greg Norman’s leadership at LIV ended in 2025 when Scott O’Neil took over. While both have the same intention to see LIV flourish, their leadership styles are quite different. A writer at The Athletic, Gabby Herzig, highlighted the difference between the two on the 5 Clubs podcast.

She said that O’Neil takes an “anti-establishment approach” and has adopted a “wider perspective” for better integration into golf’s ecosystem. Unlike Norman’s aggressive stance against PGA Tour control, O’Neil focuses on collaboration.

Since joining LIV Golf, O’Neil secured a pivotal Fox Sports broadcasting deal. This helped improve visibility after low CW viewership. He oversaw LIV’s transition from 54-hole to 72-hole formats starting in 2026, emphasizing the “purity of the game,” a sentiment Herzig says Norman never expressed. O’Neil praised Fox executive Eric Shanks as an “extraordinary” partner despite U.S. market challenges.

Scott O’Neil’s top 2026 priority is securing Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points for LIV events. He has made many changes, like transitioning to a 72-hole format, adding more places on the roster for Asian golfers, rebranding the teams, and more, to make that happen. This would ease LIV players’ reliance on external performances or exemptions for Majors, enhancing legitimacy while preserving the league’s identity.

Greg Norman believes his mission has already reshaped professional golf. Thus, the merger debate is now far less significant than it once was. Scott O’Neil has taken over Norman’s role in a different way, but both have helped LIV Golf reach where it is today.