Imagine a world where Arnold Palmer had backed up LIV Golf. The whole landscape of professional golf would have changed with many PGA Tour loyalists making the jump to the Saudi-based promotion. Well, that would have happened had Palmer taken a liking to a ‘second tour’ idea.

During the Golden Era of golf, we saw a drastic uprise in the popularity and commerciality of the sport. With legendary players like Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, and Jack Nicklaus taking charge, golf gained fans all around the world.

But with fame comes responsibility, and that is exactly what Arnold Palmer had to bear. He was one of the faces of the sport and he had a lot of influence in the direction it was heading. Hence, he was also exposed to a variety of ideas by many different entrepreneurs throughout his life. We are here to understand what was his reaction to the ‘second tour’ concept proposed by one of his associates.

The proposal of the ‘second tour’ to Arnold Palmer

During the 60s, Arnold Palmer was managed by a prominent name in the world of golf, Mark McCormack. McCormack was not only his agent but also a lawyer and businessman. One concept that the famous agent had considered was the establishment of a ‘second tour’.

In an interview for The Golfer’s Journal presented by Titleist, Tiger Woods’ former agent, Hughes Norton, shared details about the original idea behind LIV Golf. Norton said, “It really started with, back to Mark McCormack, a visionary guy.” He mentions that the details of the proposal are mentioned in Arnie: The Evolution of a Legend by Mark H. McCormack. Norton further added, “He thought up this ‘second tour’ or ‘other tour’ for only the top stars. He was going to take Jack (Nicklaus), Arnold (Palmer), and Gary (Player) and there were 27 others.”

Norton confirmed that the sponsors of the said tour had left the responsibility of picking the other 27 players to McCormack. They didn’t care who the others were as long as Nicklaus, Palmer, and Player were a part of it. Norton also mentioned how lucrative of an option this could be for the top pros. He said, “He had network television, he had sponsors, he had airlines, he had hotels, the whole thing was set up.” Hughes Norton also mentioned, “The prize money was gonna be much greater than what those guys were playing for in those days.” Continuing to talk about the benefits, he said, “And there were pension benefits, and healthcare, and stuff that nobody had thought of before.”

Even after hearing about the promising proposal, Arnold Palmer was not eager about it. As confirmed by Norton, “Arnold Palmer shot it down.” Palmer understood the impact it would have if the 30 top players left. He realized that it would completely destroy the tour and any credibility it had.

Time passed and the idea was temporarily trashed. But not until Hughes Norton started managing Greg Norman. Let’s see what transpired between the two much later.

The second proposal of the World Tour

Skipping to 1994, Norton was managing Greg Norman and they had become close associates. Hughes Norton mentioned McCormack’s idea about the other tour to Norman and it piqued his interest. The same year, Norman presented the idea of the world tour to the Tour which also included Arnold Palmer. After hearing the idea again, Palmer informed them that he, Nicklaus and Player had received many such lucrative offers in the past but they had always turned them down. They believe that it is “Not fair to the fellas“. Arnold Palmer ended with, “Guys, you do whatever you want. I’m kind of at the end of my career. But… This idea is not for me,” as he got up and left the room.

Palmer’s reaction raised many questions among all the players in the room but Norman was not affected. In fact, Norton stated that Greg Norman started holding a ‘grudge‘ against the Tour ever since. When the opportunity of going against the PGA Tour was presented by the Saudi’s Private Investment Fund, Norman latched on to it. As we know now, Greg Norman became the CEO of LIV Golf and the ‘second tour’ has been quite successful till now.

As a fan, do you think Arnold Palmer made the right decision all those years ago? And what are your views on Greg Norman-led LIV Golf? Let us know in the comments section.