Next year, Canada might dot LIV Golf’s global map. Reportedly, LIV Golf officials, including CEO Greg Norman, traveled to Canada to scout courses. The Great White Shark and his colleagues scoped out Riverside Country Club and the Dakota Dunes Golf Links. 

Riverside will host the Saskatoon Open 2024 in July. Saskatchewan is situated some 1300 miles from the Hamilton Golf and Country Club, the venue of this year’s Canadian Open. Although Robert Klombies, executive director of the Riverside Country Club, acknowledged the visit to 650 CKOM, no further details were offered because of privacy reasons. 

Canada seems to be a lucrative opportunity for LIV Golf. Like the Australian crowd at Adelaide, Canadians know how to elevate tournaments. And, like Australia, Canada is also deprived of major tournaments throughout the year. 

If you want a pulse check, head to the Rink, the par-3 13th at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club. The grandstand, surrounded by hockey boards, is a Canadian adoption of 16th at TPC Scottsdale. “One of the main reasons I love coming back here is the atmosphere the fans create when we’re out there to play,” Rory McIlroy, a two-time winner of the event, said. Interestingly, the idea came from Brian Lee, the executive director of Golf Saskatchewan.

Notably, Greg Norman has made no secret of his desire to expand LIV Golf. Recently, the Shark hinted that Japan may be added to LIV Golf’s international map next year. In a recent interview, Norman shared his vision of owning golf clubs and having a home tournament for each team. Currently, there is no Canadian player on LIV’s roster. 

Notably, Phil Mickelson also said that the tourism boards of different countries are getting involved in the events. The six-time major winner also noted that many tourism boards are willing to pay LIV to host an event in their countries. To capitalize on Canada’s populace, LIV Golf, though, has to overcome two barriers. 

LIV Golf’s success in Canada hinges on two factors

Having a Ripper GC, an all-Aussie team helmed by former Open Champion Cameron Smith, was a driving factor behind LIV Golf Adelaide’s success. Fans flocked around the Ripper GC captain, and the first-team playoff was the cherry on top. 

Smith and later Norman himself floated the idea of home events to attract more fans on the greens. However, as mentioned earlier, no Canadian plays for the PIF-funded side. Without any home-grown star, Norman & Co. has to rely on the existing star power. 

While that might be taken care of, how well-received LIV will be in Canada remains to be seen. Let’s not forget that Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of PIF, the Saudi sovereign fund that bankrolls LIV, is facing a $74 million lawsuit in Canada. In the second week of January, the family of Dr. Saad Aljabri, a former Saudi intelligence chief, filed a lawsuit in Canadian court against Al-Rumayyan. This might become the second reason why Canadian golf fans might not welcome the Saudi-funded league with open arms, as the Aussie fans did.

However, no further progress has been made in the case, and it seems Greg Norman is unfazed by the accusations. If things fall into place, LIV might very well compete with the PGA Tour in hosting the best tournament in Canada.