PGA Tour Believes Greg Norman Is Not Running Day-to-Day Operations at LIV Golf, According to a New Court Filing
Greg Norman is CEO and commissioner of LIV Golf in name only, according to newly filed documents by the PGA Tour in federal court Friday.
In a reply filed in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, in support of its motion to compel the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) and Yasir Othman Al-Rumayyan, the managing director of PIF, to comply with documents and deposition subpoenas, the Tour used documents obtained previously in discovery to paint a picture of who it believes really controls LIV Golf and its efforts to establish the league in the golf ecosystem.
According to the motion, Al-Rumayyan functions as LIV’s chief executive, meeting regularly with Norman, approving LIV’s budget, making key strategic decisions, participating in player recruitment in the U.S. and micromanaging LIV’s day-to-day operations.
“PIF and Mr. Al-Rumayyan are central figures,” the PGA Tour states in its response. “They are the wizards behind the curtain: they call the shots, they approve the expenditures, and they supply the money.”
According to the filing, PIF has invested $2 billion thus far to establish and fund LIV’s operations.
Portions of the PGA Tour’s filing are redacted, and while many of the 44 exhibits are sealed per LIV Golf’s request, the nonredacted portions suggest that if Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who publicly suggested Norman must go in recent press conferences, got their way and Norman was ousted by LIV, it would have little effect, because it is ultimately PIF and Al-Rumayyan who are running the operation.
A redacted portion of the Tour’s motion states the following about Norman’s involvement:
“Mr. Al-Rumayyan’s close supervision of LIV is consistent with PIF’s internal description of Mr. Norman as a [redacted] for LIV.”
You can fill in the blank, but it’s clear the PGA Tour does not view Norman as LIV Golf’s key player.
Al-Rumayyan, the Tour states, has led and continues to lead coordination with LIV leadership to recruit golfers and decide on the terms of their contracts.
The Tour also states that PIF has hired Teneo Strategy, LLC, a global consulting, strategy and communications firm with offices worldwide, including in Abu Dhabi.
According to its website, Teneo has ties with numerous former government figures, including House Speaker Paul Ryan, Sen. George Mitchell, Sen. Chris Dodd, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney; and former IBM CEO and Augusta National member Ginni Rometty.
Exhibit 40 of the Tour’s filings provides a copy of the service contract between PIF and Teneo, which includes the effective date of Jan. 21, 2022, and the agreed-upon cost of $2,700,000, paid in 12 monthly installments of $225,000.
“PIF hired Teneo Strategy, LLC (“Teneo”)—headquartered in New York City and registered under the Foreign Agency Registration Act—to “demonstrat[e] how PIF is enabling the creation of new sectors and opportunities and driving transformation” as a part of ‘Project Wedge.’” the Tour argues in its motion. “While Teneo’s contract makes no mention of LIV, ‘Project Wedge’ is PIF’s internal designation for its plan to disrupt professional golf and compete with the Tour via LIV.”
“Project Wedge” has not been mentioned in any previous court filings and if true, could begin to shift the focus away from the Tour and its actions and spotlight how the PIF and its proxy LIV Golf are trying to control golf worldwide.