Greg Norman’s replacement set for LIV-PGA Tour match

Greg Norman has reached his final days as LIV Golf CEO, with the Australian’s replacement set to take part in a pro-am ahead of the event billed as a grudge match with the PGA Tour.

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will take on LIV defectors Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in an 18-hole Ryder Cup style match on Tuesday.

The floodlit match named “The Crypto.com Showdown” at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas is one of the only occasions outside the four majors that the stars from the conflicting tours will be able to compete – and it is a match that McIlroy hopes will “energise fans” during the sport’s ongoing civil war.

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But the added significance to this made-for-TV showpiece is that it could also represent the changing of the guard.

Norman, LIV’s firebrand and commissioner, has already confirmed that his time fronting the Saudi-backed league as its chief executive is almost over.

The two-time major champion is set to be replaced by Scott O’Neil, the former Philadelphia 76ers chief who has most recently worked as CEO of Merlin Entertainments, a London-based company which runs a number of theme parks and attractions.

That has not yet been officially confirmed, but an announcement is anticipated in days ahead.

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And, intriguingly, according to the Sport Business Journal’s Josh Carpenter, O’Neil was expected on site to participate in the pro-am for “The Showdown”.

O’Neil is set to take the reigns during a busy LIV off-season, with the league still searching for new signings to replace out-of-contract and relegated players ahead of 2025.

Norman, meanwhile, confirmed in an interview with Wish TV that he will still have some involvement in LIV’s operations going forward.

“I’ve seen [LIV] come from a business model on paper to giving birth on the golf course to where it is today,” the 69-year-old said.

“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 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.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.