The framework agreement is to be renewed by the weekend, and that means the united entity of both PGA and LIV might have one leader, either Jay Monahan or Greg Norman. Now, the question lies: who gets fired in the process?
When the merger was settled in June, Jay Monahan was hailed as the leader and Greg Norman as a mere casualty in the agreement. Monahan even had the power to dismiss LIV and decide for both associations. While Norman stated that he is ‘out of a job’ if an agreement is sealed. In the following months, Monahan was called out as a betrayer by PGA Tour players, but Norman remained stern and bold.
The biggest shocker with the 2024 agreement would be Monahan’s resignation. Even players demanded so. Tiger Woods finds it amazing to see the fall of such a man. On the other hand, Norman affirmed in Doral that he’ll be associated with LIV in the coming years. Norman avidly declined the rumors of him being removed.
Greg Norman Affirms His Long Reign
Norman bravely stated that the stories weren’t true. He further said,
“There’s so much white noise floating around out there that I actually paid zero attention to. … I was never in any fear of anybody saying anything or any animus against me or anything like that.”
Moreover, he decides on LIV Golf’s future as a ‘standalone entity.’
As Norman builds confidence in his position, players want new leadership in the PGA Tour. One such name is Xander Schauffele.
“I would be lying if I said that I have a whole lot of trust after what happened,” said Xander.
He believes the other tour guys feel the same, and he found it disrespectful that the past negotiations were carried out without their consent.
Xander also talked about how keeping the golfers in the dark created a huge distance between them and the leadership, and now it’s hard to have faith. To keep things transparent, Woods was installed as the sixth player director. Woods affirmed that past mistakes won’t be repeated as well.
Jon Rahm, who moved to LIV, feels the same. He asserted his distrust of Monahan at a major. Joining the list is Viktor Hovland, who feels the management hasn’t done a good job. Hence, Monahan had received quite the backlash from the tour members.
LIV has indeed inspired the PGA Tour to increase its purses, including signature events with increased prize money and several other aspects. As far as the current negotiations are concerned, LIV has leverage with Rahm. This entire scenario works in favor of Norman and against Monahan.
