Greg Norman admits how golf fans have really shocked him since he helped set up LIV Golf

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Greg Norman seemingly realised a long-time ambition when he became the CEO of LIV Golf and went on to play his part in turning the golfing world upside down several times over.

Greg Norman may turn 70 early next year and may have won his last major title more than 30 years ago, but he has perhaps been more influential in the last three years than he has at any other time in his career.

Norman wanted to breakaway from the PGA Tour in 1994, so it should probably have come as no surprise that he was the one to act as CEO when LIV Golf started up.

Whatever golf fans think of LIV, it cannot be denied that they have achieved a lot in a short space of time. They have most definitely put themselves at the table for discussions over how the game’s future will look. And their success in establishing themselves has made it imperative to the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour that an agreement is reached which sees the sport come back together.

Greg Norman admits what has shocked him since LIV Golf began

But it has not been a smooth ride. There were a raft of uncomfortable press conferences ahead of the first event back in 2022, with a raft of unconvincing answers coming from the players who initially decided to jump ship.

And it was not hard to see why those tough questions were heading their way, with the league owned by PIF. Nevertheless, speaking to Sports Illustrated, Norman has claimed that he was taken aback by how strong the reaction has been at times.

“I’m extremely proud of everything I’ve done, represented LIV and also stood up for LIV,’’ he said. “It hasn’t been easy, right? You can’t run through a brick wall without getting bloody. I knew when I took the job I knew what it would be to some degree.

“[But] I didn’t expect the hostility, the hatred, the disdain, whatever was thrown at us. I’ve said to take the high road and be true to yourself. We have conversations going out five years, so you don’t think about hitting that brick wall. It hurts. But when you get through it you can see where we are going.”

Naive to expect little criticism

LIV have definitely tried to portray themselves as the plucky little upstart up against the giant of the PGA Tour.

But they have surely gone too far while trying to build the LIV brand. It can sometimes feel as if every player plays for LIV as well as their individual teams. And it is very rare that fans hear anything other than overwhelming positives about the league when tuning in to their events.

Thus, it was almost jarring to hear Norman suggest one area where LIV have fallen short.

Some fans will, understandably, never accept LIV. Norman was clearly very naive if he really thought that the criticism coming his way would not be anywhere near as intense.