Controversial golfer Greg Norman LIVs up to his tag
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Greg Norman and controversies are not alien to each other. As the world watches with huge interest the LIV Golf Series, now in full flow, what stands out is the new market for a “new product.” Golf in the old days was pure, pristine and perhaps, slow. Modern golf is different. And if there has been a breakaway tour, this is not the first time.
Greg Norman has had his dalliances with a breakaway golf tour, even before. In 1994, he wanted to set up a world golf series, though there is a huge difference in the size of the field when we compare it with the LIV series. At that time, it was conceived as an event just for the Top 8. Twenty-eight years is a long time.
The birth, or the conception of the LIV Golf Series, did not happen overnight. There was planning at the highest level and you have to credit the brains behind it. To be sure, the breakaway series in sporting events are not new. More specifically, Aussies have been at the forefront, despite being Down Under, geographically. When Kerry Packer began the World Series Cricket, many decades ago, it was blasphemy. Slogans of “Big Boys Play at Night” was spicy.
Those who viewed cricket at that time, with players turning out in coloured clothing referred to as “pyjama cricket.” The WSC did shake the edifice of cricket and showed the way for a breakaway series where cricketers were willing to take the risk. Cut to the present, it was not the Indian Premier League but the Indian Cricket League, conceptualised by legend Kapil Dev, which first broke barriers in T20 cricket. The ICL was not recognised by the men in power (BCCI).
How LIV Golf and Greg Norman are creating an evolution in the golf world
However, within a year, the BCCI came up with its own product called the IPL, where the role played by Lalit Modi, now in London, cannot be forgotten. There was smirk and sarcasm when the IPL began. Old-timers called the birth of IPL as a curse. It included former captains like Bishan Bedi.
And when the first IP auction happened in New Delhi, well-known cricket writer Peter Roebuck, also a former Somerset captain, called players going under the hammer “Like a cattle sale.” Roebuck is no more, having committed suicide, but IPL is rocking and so are T20 leagues all over the world.
If golf needed to be spiced up, it has already happened. Today, the barometer of success is how social media reacts and responds. LIV Golf is alive and kicking. The format has been conceived very smartly. The next two will be in Thailand and Saudi Arabia.
Just imagine, that Jeddah will be hosting a huge leg at the Royal Greens and Country Club from October 14 to 16.
Nobody will be complaining about playing in Saudi Arabia, a desert, which also has a strong connection with LIV Golf via the business angle and sponsorship deals. They are flexing their money power. For the Saudis to host a breakaway tour leg is good news.
What is the future of LIV Golf?
For those who think that only Golf Majors evoke huge responses, be sure the spread of LIV Golf in coming years can turn out to be bigger. From London to Chicago, five events have already been held in the new series. The response has been staggering, to say the least.
Next up will be Thailand, to be followed by Jeddah. And then the return to Trump National Doral, in Miami. For those not aware, Donald Trump, the former US Prez, has golf courses. He has always been a smart businessman, though people love to hate him.
By the time this year’s LIV Golf comes to an end, more venom would have been spewed at the people who brought in a new golf tour. Trump will also not be spared, as he is the most famous punching bag. But then, he hardly cares.
There are rumours that LIV Golf will spread its tentacles further. India is a big market for golf and the rumour mills are already talking about it. For a sport which attracts businessmen, glitterati, diplomats and so on, the birth of LIV Golf is welcome. Purists can curse the breakaway events. The truth is, resistance to change will always happen, in any walk of life. It’s still golf after all, so what if the winner is decided after just 54 holes!
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)