Greg Norman-led LIV Golf has seen its fair share of partiality. From not getting OWGR points to constantly being criticized for its format and being called an exhibition tour, it has been through a lot! But things seemed to be changing, especially in Australia, with the number of fans growing almost 1.5 times from 2023. But as it turns out, only Australian fans have accepted the tournament, not the officials.
The All-Australian squad on LIV won two consecutive events: Adelaide and Singapore. Congratulations were surely in order. The PGA of Australia shared a post on its Facebook page, congratulating Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, and Matt Jones and their “teams.” Interestingly, in the post, there was no mention of the Saudi-funded circuit. This didn’t, unsurprisingly, sit well with Norman.
The post captioned, “These guys are on a roll. Well played Cam, Marc, Matt, Lucas, and your teams. Singapore team title,” the Australian veteran golfer went ahead to point out how the authority could have just used the actual name of the team and LIV Golf in their congratulatory post. “C’mon PGA of Australia you can mention Ripper GC and LIV Golf! The boys/LIV have changed golf down under,” wrote Norman.
The game of golf has surely reached new heights in Australia. LIV’s first tournament in Adelaide sold over 40,000 tickets, but this year, the number rose to over 95,000. As per reports, fans from 30 different countries bought tickets to witness the party unfold at Grange GC. Not many events from the PGA Tour or DPWT are being held in Australia, and hence LIV offers a great experience to the fans there. Norman wanting a bit of credit for it was not all wrong.
The Smith-led squad emerged victorious at Sentosa GC by carding 32-under. Rippers GC was able to do so with Smith’s and Leishman’s help, as they both tied for T2 with figures of 14 under 200. In Adelaide, the all-Australian squad won LIV’s first-ever team playoff, which was dramatic, to say the least. The recent ignorance by the PGA of Australia did not sit well with fans, as they exuded support for Greg Norman and his response.
Netizens rise in favor of Norman
The 2024 LIV Golf Adelaide was a tremendous success, even more so than the previous year’s edition. A total of 77,076 spectators attended the event. The response in November 2023 was overwhelming, as more than 80 percent of hospitality passes were sold out when first released. It pushed the organizers to release additional tickets. The tickets for the energetic Watering Hole were sold out last year. Cameron Smith called the 2023 LIV Golf Adelaide “the best event I’ve ever played.” The event, after all, was awarded the World’s Best Golf Event in 2023.
Keeping all of this in mind, a fan commented, “Greg Norman exactly! When will they finally accept Ripper and LIV are growing the game in Australia?”, “Greg as a spectator that just returned to WA from Adelaide, not a truer word spoken LIV Golf.”
The cream of the crop came when a user commented, “Well said Greg you are the leader and have always been to grow the game in this country. It’s about time the PGA of Australia pull their head out of their arse and do something for this great game in this country. it’s a shame they don’t use the greatest platform being Liv to grow the game here. You have ruined the game in this country pga shame on you for not supporting this great man.” Australian fans do not get to witness a lot of events in their country. PGA Tour often relies on US-based locations to organize its events which deprives the fans of an opportunity to witness world-class golfers live in action.
LIV Golf boasts a much different format as opposed to the usual tournaments. From the 54-hole contests to the team-playing events to even the attire worn by the golfers, the PIF-funded circuit has truly brought about a change. The fans agree with this, leading them to write comments such as, “Greg Norman great concept your the man that has made golf exciting again! Well done to the boys! Absolute Ripper!” and “Greg Norman you Bloody Ripper.”
It seems that LIV Golf’s CEO is currently enjoying the success he has managed to rake in recent times. Regardless of what the others say, one thing is for sure: he sure has caused tremendous waves in Australia, if not anywhere else!
