Greg Norman acknowledges his possible exit as LIV Golf CEO for the first time

After monts of speculation, Greg Norman has acknowledged his possible exit as the CEO of LIV Golf. There have been reports swirling around for a while about the potential change in the CEO's position.

Recently, in an interview with Wish TV, Greg Norman acknowledged his exit from the circuit, stating that "there will be a new CEO." Here's what Norman said (via WISH TV):

"Is there going to be a new CEO? Yes. There will be a new CEO. I'm fine with that. Will I always have a place and be involved with LIV to some capacity? Yes. I'll always have that.

"Because of the impact that has been created in the game of golf by LIV, I've had a small, small piece of that, which I'm proud of... I've seen it come from a business model on paper to giving birth on the golf course to where it is today," he added.

Notably, the change in position is coming amid the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, the financial backbone of LIV, talking about a merger with the PGA Tour. A possible merger between PIF and the PGA Tour was announced in June 2023.

In his interview with Wish TV, Norman also spoke about the deal and said:

"Competition was a great thing for them (PGA Tour) too. Now they got an injection from SSG (Strategic Sports Group) of $1.5 billion. Great for the PGA Tour, wonderful. So everywhere you look – In the first couple years, everybody was lambasting us. And now all of a sudden, everybody’s trying to follow us. And I think everybody should take a step back and say, ‘Oh my gosh. How good has this been for the game of golf?’”

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Who can replace Greg Norman as the CEO of LIV Golf?

As per a recent report by Sports Business Journal, NHL and NBA executive Scott O'Neil could possibly replace Greg Norman as the CEO of LIV Golf. He is currently working with Merlin Entertainments but reports claim that he has stepped down from the position and could now be joining the Saudi-backed golf series.

O'Neil holds over two decades of experience in the field of sports and entertainment. He attained his bachelor's degree from Villanova University and then completed his master's in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

Over the years, O'Neil has worked for the NBA and NHL. He was the senior vice president for the NBA from 2000 to 2008 before joining The Madison Square Garden as its President from 2008 to 2012.

O'Neil was the Chief Executive Officer of the Philadelphia 76ers from 2013 to 2021 and also served as the CEO of the New Jersey Devils from 2013 to 2021. He has also served as the CEO of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment from 2017 to 2021 before joining Merlin Entertainment in 2022.