WE FINALLY FOUND OUT SOME CONCRETE DETAIL ABOUT LIV GOLF INVESTMENTS PLAN FOR THE ASIAN TOUR AND THE MUCH RUMOURED AND SCANDALOUSLY PANNED IDEAS FOR GLOBAL EXPANSION OF THE GAME OF GOLF TODAY AS GREG NORMAN ADDRESSED THE MEDIA AT THE SAUDI INTERNATIONAL.
THE 10-TOURNAMENT SERIES WILL BE CALLED THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES, PLAYED OVER AN INITIAL 8 COUNTRIES ACROSS ASIA AND THE UK IN 2022-23, EACH EVENT WILL CARRY A PURSE OF BETWEEN $1.5-2MILLION AND WILL LAUNCH IN THAILAND IN MARCH.
EVER SINCE GREG NORMAN ANNOUNCED HE WAS GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE ASIAN TOUR AND CREATING LIV GOLF INVESTMENTS, BACKED BY, AMONG OTHERS, THE SAUDI PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND, THE 'GREAT WHITE SHARK' HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO A VAST ARRAY OF VERBAL AND WRITTEN INSULTS.
MANY IN THE MAINSTREAM GOLFING MEDIA, ALL TIED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT, HAVE ATTACKED NORMAN, QUESTIONED HIS MORALS AND HIS INTEGRITY, WITH ONE CENTRAL ACCUSATION, THAT HE AND THIS IS ALL ABOUT MONEY.
BUT IT HASN'T STOPPED AT THE MEDIA. THE POWER-BASE OF GOLF NAMELY THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR, HAVE GONE ON THE OFFENSIVE, CALLING THE ASIAN TOUR A "FIERCE RIVAL" AND THREATENING LIFETIME BANS FOR PLAYERS WHO JOIN A 'BREAKAWAY'.
AND EVEN SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST PROMINENT GOLFERS INCLUDING RORY MCILROY AND COLIN MONTGOMERIE HAVE MADE ABSOLUTELY BASELESS ALLEGATIONS THAT THIS IS A MONEY GRAB, MONTY EVEN HAVING THE TEMERITY TO CALL IT AN 'EVIL WORD - MONEY'. WHICH IS ABSURD FOR SOMEONE WHO WON THE ORDER OF MERIT 7 TIMES IN A ROW ON THE DP WORLD TOUR, WHICH IS A RANKING OF THE HIGHEST EARNERS. WHAT DID HE EARN? PEANUTS? NO OF COURSE, IT WAS MONEY.
FIRSTLY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST GOLFERS OF THE LAST HALF-CENTURY, A MAN WHO HAS PUT HIS REPUTATION AND ALL OF HIS BUSINESSES WHICH HE HAS SPENT 30 YEARS BUILDING UP, ON THE LINE FOR A CAUSE HE BELIEVES IN.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A TRUE LEGEND OF THE SPORT WHO HAS WON 20 TIMES ON THE PGA TOUR AND ANOTHER 12 TIMES ON THE DP WORLD TOUR INCLUDING 2 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS WON OVER 80 PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD IN AUSTRALIA, USA, SCOTLAND, FRANCE, SWEDEN, ITALY, CANADA, JAPAN, FIJI, HONG KONG AND ENGLAND. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS SPENT MORE TIME AS WORLD NUMBER ONE SINCE 1986 THAN ANY PLAYER ON EARTH OTHER THAN TIGER WOODS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS DESIGNED OVER 100 GOLF COURSES ACROSS THE WORLD IN 34 COUNTRIES ACROSS EVERY CONTINENT ON THE PLANET BAR ANTARCTICA.
GREG NORMAN HAS CONTRIBUTED TREMENDOUSLY TO GOLF AT EVERY LEVEL AND NOW, 28 YEARS ON FROM A PLAN WHICH WAS MET WITH THE SAME BLIND HOSTILITY HE HAS FOUND AN ORGANISATION WHICH IS WILLING TO SUPPORT THAT IDEA AND PEOPLE WHICH HAVE THE MONEY AND VISION TO MAKE IT A REALITY.
AND FINALLY NORMAN HIT BACK TODAY. "We're in this for the good of the game," SAID THE AUSTRALIAN. "It's disappointing, personally disappointing, to see some of the attacks that have been taking place unwarrantedly.
THE 10-TOURNAMENT SERIES WILL BE CALLED THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES, PLAYED OVER AN INITIAL 8 COUNTRIES ACROSS ASIA AND THE UK IN 2022-23, EACH EVENT WILL CARRY A PURSE OF BETWEEN $1.5-2MILLION AND WILL LAUNCH IN THAILAND IN MARCH.
EVER SINCE GREG NORMAN ANNOUNCED HE WAS GETTING INVOLVED WITH THE ASIAN TOUR AND CREATING LIV GOLF INVESTMENTS, BACKED BY, AMONG OTHERS, THE SAUDI PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND, THE 'GREAT WHITE SHARK' HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO A VAST ARRAY OF VERBAL AND WRITTEN INSULTS.
MANY IN THE MAINSTREAM GOLFING MEDIA, ALL TIED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT, HAVE ATTACKED NORMAN, QUESTIONED HIS MORALS AND HIS INTEGRITY, WITH ONE CENTRAL ACCUSATION, THAT HE AND THIS IS ALL ABOUT MONEY.
BUT IT HASN'T STOPPED AT THE MEDIA. THE POWER-BASE OF GOLF NAMELY THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR, HAVE GONE ON THE OFFENSIVE, CALLING THE ASIAN TOUR A "FIERCE RIVAL" AND THREATENING LIFETIME BANS FOR PLAYERS WHO JOIN A 'BREAKAWAY'.
AND EVEN SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST PROMINENT GOLFERS INCLUDING RORY MCILROY AND COLIN MONTGOMERIE HAVE MADE ABSOLUTELY BASELESS ALLEGATIONS THAT THIS IS A MONEY GRAB, MONTY EVEN HAVING THE TEMERITY TO CALL IT AN 'EVIL WORD - MONEY'. WHICH IS ABSURD FOR SOMEONE WHO WON THE ORDER OF MERIT 7 TIMES IN A ROW ON THE DP WORLD TOUR, WHICH IS A RANKING OF THE HIGHEST EARNERS. WHAT DID HE EARN? PEANUTS? NO OF COURSE, IT WAS MONEY.
FIRSTLY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST GOLFERS OF THE LAST HALF-CENTURY, A MAN WHO HAS PUT HIS REPUTATION AND ALL OF HIS BUSINESSES WHICH HE HAS SPENT 30 YEARS BUILDING UP, ON THE LINE FOR A CAUSE HE BELIEVES IN.
WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A TRUE LEGEND OF THE SPORT WHO HAS WON 20 TIMES ON THE PGA TOUR AND ANOTHER 12 TIMES ON THE DP WORLD TOUR INCLUDING 2 OPEN CHAMPIONSHIPS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS WON OVER 80 PROFESSIONAL TOURNAMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD IN AUSTRALIA, USA, SCOTLAND, FRANCE, SWEDEN, ITALY, CANADA, JAPAN, FIJI, HONG KONG AND ENGLAND. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS SPENT MORE TIME AS WORLD NUMBER ONE SINCE 1986 THAN ANY PLAYER ON EARTH OTHER THAN TIGER WOODS. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAN WHO HAS DESIGNED OVER 100 GOLF COURSES ACROSS THE WORLD IN 34 COUNTRIES ACROSS EVERY CONTINENT ON THE PLANET BAR ANTARCTICA.
GREG NORMAN HAS CONTRIBUTED TREMENDOUSLY TO GOLF AT EVERY LEVEL AND NOW, 28 YEARS ON FROM A PLAN WHICH WAS MET WITH THE SAME BLIND HOSTILITY HE HAS FOUND AN ORGANISATION WHICH IS WILLING TO SUPPORT THAT IDEA AND PEOPLE WHICH HAVE THE MONEY AND VISION TO MAKE IT A REALITY.
AND FINALLY NORMAN HIT BACK TODAY. "We're in this for the good of the game," SAID THE AUSTRALIAN. "It's disappointing, personally disappointing, to see some of the attacks that have been taking place unwarrantedly.
"If you pre-judge anybody without knowing the facts, then shame on you."
"What is LIV Golf Investments doing that you are scared of? Why do you have to have these attacks to the level they do?
"Understand the fact that we have always been, and continue to be, very collaborative and cooperative with any of the institutions right across the board. We want to work together side by side."
THE FACTS ARE THAT THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES AS IT STANDS WILL NOT CHANGE MUCH IN THE GOLFING LANDSCAPE, BUT IT ALONG WITH THE $300MILLION INVESTMENT INTO THE ASIAN TOUR WILL SECURE THE FUTURE AND HELP DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL GOLF ACROSS THE REGION AS A MINIMUM.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY JUST 26 PLAYERS FROM ASIA INSIDE THE WORLD'S TOP 200, ANYTHING WHICH CAN STRENGTHEN GOLF IN ASIA IS SURELY A GREAT THING FOR GOLF, BECAUSE IN RECENT YEARS WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS THE DP WORLD TOUR'S DECLINE IN ASIA AND THE EMERGENCE OF PGA TOUR EVENTS WHICH GIVE VERY LITTLE OPPORTUNITY FOR ASIAN GOLFERS TO COMPETE AND EARN RANKING POINTS.
WHAT I PERSONALLY HOPE IS THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, AND THE FIRST SEASON OF THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES ENCOURAGES THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR TO THE TABLE, ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN A MERGER OF THE WORLD'S MAJOR TOURS, AND THE CREATION OF AN ELITE LEVEL OF TOURNAMENTS PLAYED ALL OVER THE WORLD FEATURING THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? WELL IN THE SHORT TERM I HAVE NO DOUBT MORE OFFENSIVE, INACCURATE AND DISRESPECTFUL ALLEGATIONS SLUNG AT GREG NORMAN, BUT THE SHARK HAS GOT A HARD BITE AND TODAY HE BEGAN TO BARE HIS TEETH. GREG NORMAN IS ONE OF THE GOLFING ICONS OF ALL TIME, HE DESERVES RESPECT AND A CHANCE TO LEAVE A LASTING IMPRINT ON THE GAME HE DOMINATED FOR A DECADE.
THE FACTS ARE THAT THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES AS IT STANDS WILL NOT CHANGE MUCH IN THE GOLFING LANDSCAPE, BUT IT ALONG WITH THE $300MILLION INVESTMENT INTO THE ASIAN TOUR WILL SECURE THE FUTURE AND HELP DEVELOP PROFESSIONAL GOLF ACROSS THE REGION AS A MINIMUM.
THERE ARE CURRENTLY JUST 26 PLAYERS FROM ASIA INSIDE THE WORLD'S TOP 200, ANYTHING WHICH CAN STRENGTHEN GOLF IN ASIA IS SURELY A GREAT THING FOR GOLF, BECAUSE IN RECENT YEARS WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS THE DP WORLD TOUR'S DECLINE IN ASIA AND THE EMERGENCE OF PGA TOUR EVENTS WHICH GIVE VERY LITTLE OPPORTUNITY FOR ASIAN GOLFERS TO COMPETE AND EARN RANKING POINTS.
WHAT I PERSONALLY HOPE IS THIS ANNOUNCEMENT, AND THE FIRST SEASON OF THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES ENCOURAGES THE PGA TOUR AND DP WORLD TOUR TO THE TABLE, ULTIMATELY RESULTING IN A MERGER OF THE WORLD'S MAJOR TOURS, AND THE CREATION OF AN ELITE LEVEL OF TOURNAMENTS PLAYED ALL OVER THE WORLD FEATURING THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? WELL IN THE SHORT TERM I HAVE NO DOUBT MORE OFFENSIVE, INACCURATE AND DISRESPECTFUL ALLEGATIONS SLUNG AT GREG NORMAN, BUT THE SHARK HAS GOT A HARD BITE AND TODAY HE BEGAN TO BARE HIS TEETH. GREG NORMAN IS ONE OF THE GOLFING ICONS OF ALL TIME, HE DESERVES RESPECT AND A CHANCE TO LEAVE A LASTING IMPRINT ON THE GAME HE DOMINATED FOR A DECADE.
