Former LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has delivered a brutal verdict on the breakaway league he helped build from a napkin idea since 2022.

Now, watching it limp toward an uncertain 2027, he says he’d rather see it die on its feet than fade away slowly.

“I’m sad, disappointed, gutted to be honest,” Norman said in a candid interview with Skratch.

Norman was replaced as LIV Golf’s commissioner by Scott O’Neil in Jan. 2025 after his contract expired in Aug. 2024. Looking at where the league stands today, the Australian believes the venture no longer has a real long-term future.

“I hate to see it wither away. I would rather just see it end,” Norman added during the same interview with Skratch published on August 24.

Formel 1 Grand Prix von Australien 2026 Sonntag MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 08 2026: Greg Norman before the main race at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia LicenseRM 24781614 Copyright: xZoonar.com/ChrisxPutnamx 24781614

When LIV teed off in London in June 2022, it arrived loud and unapologetic: 54 holes instead of 72, no cut, shotgun starts, and a team format built around 12 franchises.

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, it poached several major champions and established stars, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith.

It forced the PGA Tour to rethink everything from prize money to schedule structure at that time, and Norman was the face of all of it.

“We were a family. We were united by the feeling that we were doing something new and exciting for the game of golf. It took an unbelievable amount of effort, and there were constant headwinds, but we did it because we believed in the vision,” Norman told Skratch’s Alan Shipnuck.

The vision has taken some hard hits since Norman’s exit.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF, which poured more than $5 billion into LIV over roughly five years, announced in April 2026 that it would stop funding the league beyond the current season.

It started months of frantic efforts behind the scenes to secure funding to keep the league alive. O’Neil announced that a deal has been reached with the private equity firm to sustain the league, but the cost of that lifeline is already visible.

This month, LIV eliminated its season-ending, $40 million Michigan Team Championship entirely, merging the individual and team titles into a reduced-purse finale in Indianapolis.

‘It was very draining on me’: Norman reflects on his LIV tenure

In an extended interview with Australian Golf Digest back in November 2025, Norman also opened up about the heavy personal burden he carried while leading LIV Golf through its stormy beginnings.

“It was very draining on me. I was working 100-hour weeks. I’m not going to say all the abuse was anything [of consequence], but what hurt me the most was the lack of understanding of why people would judge me and give the abuse they did,” Norman said.

Yet despite the intense work hours and public criticism, Norman remains deeply proud of the lasting impact LIV Golf made across golf.

He highlighted that LIV brought private equity funding into professional golf for the first time in 53 years.

It forced the PGA Tour to re-examine its own model, leading to larger prize purses and elevated events for its players.

“When you look back on the past 12 months, there’s been a realization that all those investment dollars have done great things,” Norman pointed out, adding that golfers everywhere ultimately benefited from the changes LIV kicked off.