GREG NORMAN 'VERY OPEN-MINDED' TO HUGE LIV GOLF CHANGE DESPITE GLARING PROBLEM

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has admitted he is keeping 'open minded' about the prospect of playing 72 holes as he responded to calls from leading recruit Jon Rahm for a major change in the format of the Saudi Arabian circuit.

Securing the services of the Spaniard represented a major coup of the Gulf State tour, with the one-time Masters victor agreeing to depart the PGA Tour from the 2024 season. Signing an eye-watering £450million agreement for the next four and a half years, Rahm is arguably the most significant addition for LIV in its short history thus far.

After his first months on the tour, however, the two-time majors winner has admitted that there are some aspects to the circuit that he would change based on his initial experiences. The most pressing issue for Rahm appears to be the 54-hole format, which sees each constituent tournament take place over a three day stretch.

Speaking in Adelaide, the former world no. 1 has called on his superiors at LIV to consider a switch to the traditional 72-hole set-up, which is in place on the PGA Tour. Now, it appears that that the 29-year-old's protestations have been listened to as it appears that the Saudi Arabian tour's chief Norman is certainly all ears to suggestions over changes.

Addressing the subject of a change in format, Rahm said: "I think there's a level of comfort when I say that because it's a little bit more of what we're used to seeing in golf. I think it could help a lot of fans' trust in LIV a little bit more because that's a lot of the complaints that I see from a lot of people.

"I think from LIV's perspective, we're very open-minded about it, but you've got to understand there's economic impact about putting television on for 72 holes. It's a great conversation to have. We will continue to have that conversation going forward. But we sit back and say, what value do we get putting it on television on Thursday?"

Showing flexibility, Norman responded: "How do we build out in the future? How do we get more people to the golf course? Maybe it is Thursday and you allow another 30,000 people coming in on a Thursday. There are things that we sit back and look at to see what is the most optimal solution to make this a better and better and better event, and 72 holes is discussed."

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Either way, one problem with a transition to a 72-hole format may well come from a branding perspective - with the LIV name representing the 54-hole format instead, symbolically speaking. With 'LIV' meaning 54 in Roman numerals, a change in format may render this name obsolete - at least figuratively.

As for Rahm, he felt that uniting the rival tours in terms of format would improve the spectacle itself as he drew comparisons with the basic commonalities shared by the various European competitions in football. He posited: "In football, European football, you have the Premier League, you have the Spanish League, you have the German League, you have Serie A, you have the Champions League, the Euro Cup, many other things.

"The one thing I realised is they all play under the same set of rules. While we play under most set of rules, the one key difference is 72 holes," he continued, as he called on the powers-that-be within the PIF-backed organisation to consider his suggestions. "That's one of the main reasons why I believe it could help us."

Ultimately, Rahm did concede that money talks as he added: "At the end of the day, LIV is a business. If it doesn't fit the product, it doesn't fit the product. I'm just a player. There's a lot of people that are a lot smarter than me that can figure it out and explain why they believe 54 holes may be better for them."

2024-04-24T13:04:57Z dg43tfdfdgfd