JON RAHM says LIV had to ditch Greg Norman as chief executive, because there was “too much bad blood between Greg and the governing bodies.”
Norman has been replaced by Scott O’Neil, who has an impressive pedigree as a sports administrator within the NBA and NBC, and as the head of Merlin Entertainment, who own Legoland and Alton Towers.
GettyJon Rahm says LIV Golf had to ditch Greg Norman[/caption]
ReutersNorman left his role in LIV Golf as chief executive[/caption]
Speaking at the Dubai Desert Classic, Rahm – LIV’s most expensive recruit after signing a near-£500million deal just over a year ago – said the move was a big step forward for the rebel organisation..
He added: “Even though Greg has treated me great, I think having somebody like Scott – who is a little bit outside the world of golf, but very much in the world of sport – makes him kind of a perfect match for the job.
“I talked to Scott for some time at a commercial shoot, and based on what I talked to him about and the vision he has, and his enthusiasm, I think he’s going to have a very positive impact for LIV.
“When you add in the TV deal that’s been agreed with Fox, it’s all looking very positive just now, right?
“Even though it’s mainly a U.S. thing to have the largest golf market in the world be able to watch LIV Golf on a channel that should be pretty much every TV in the country, it’s very good.
“Hopefully, we’re looking forward to some years where the LIV product and the relationship with the rest of the game sees a lot of improvement this year.
“As far as the merger talks go, I think, unfortunately, there’s been possibly a little too much bad blood between Greg and the governing bodies. And to have somebody outside of that might help the situation.”
O’Neil’s appointment was also welcomed by another high-profile LIV star, former Masters champion Patrick Reed.
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Reed commented: “I met Scott for the first time just over a week ago in Florida, when we did all our LIV photo shoots and publicity stuff.
“He seemed like a great guy, full of energy and excitement and very happy to be on board.
“He seems determined to do great things in the job, and we want someone like that in charge.
“He feels like the right guy to be in charge, and hopefully he will be the guy who can sort out all the merger stuff.
EPAPatrick Reed is pleased with the change to Scott O’Neil[/caption]
Merlin EntertainmentsO’Neil will be the new chief executive of LIV Golf[/caption]
“He’s got a great background for this role, having been in charge of organisations in the NBA and NHl, as well as some massive corporations.
“So he’s not going to be daunted by the size of the task he’s taking on. I think he’ll do an amazing job.”
On the course, Rahm and Reed suffered widely contrasting fortunes.
Double Major winner Rahm ran up two double bogeys as he crashed to a second round 77. That meant he was certain to miss the cut on two over par.
But Reed – runner-up to Rory McIlroy here two years ago – will fancy his chances of going one better after rounds of 70-69 left him handily placed on five under.
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