Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, has denied making any financial offer to Rory McIlroy to join the Saudi-backed league. However, Norman expressed willingness to have a discussion with McIlroy if he is interested.
A report emerged last week suggesting that McIlroy, who has been a vocal critic of LIV in the past, was considering a switch to the breakaway circuit in a deal worth $850 million. However, the four-time major winner from Northern Ireland swiftly debunked the rumors in an interview with NBC’s Golf Central.
Norman addressed the speculation on the sidelines of LIV’s latest event in Adelaide, Australia. “LIV never put an offer to him,” Norman said. “This is just typical white noise that gets out there in the industry.”
LIV has signed a number of high-profile golfers since its inception, with Spanish star Jon Rahm becoming the latest big name to make the switch in December in a deal reportedly worth around US$500 million.
McIlroy has been more conciliatory towards LIV professionals in recent months, amid negotiations between LIV and the PGA Tour over a potential merger. However, he insisted to NBC that he planned to remain on the PGA Tour “for the rest of my career.”
Norman said that LIV would welcome McIlroy should he change his mind. “If Rory was willing to sit down with us and have a conversation with us, would we be happy to sit down with him – 100 percent,” he said. “No different to any other player who would be interested in coming over to play with us.”
Norman revealed that he recently sat down with another “top, top PGA player” to lay out the facts about LIV and what it could offer on a global basis.
“I mean I’ve sat down with one top, top PGA player in his house with another member of my team and walked him through the whole process,” he said. “And he was so impressed and he said, ‘that’s not what we’re told in the locker room’, and that this was really impressive.”
“He made the decision and he called me up two days later and said ‘I’m deciding to stay where I’m at’.”
“I said, ‘happy days, you made the decision on facts. The door is always open if you want to come back and have a conversation’.”
