It is hard to believe that LIV Golf will end its third season in just a day. The breakaway circuit started in 2022 after offering millions to PGA Tour players and creating an innovative 54-hole, 54-player league. In the last three years, the PIF-backed circuit has broken some records—not at the level of the PGA Tour yet—but they have written some history and laid the foundation for LIV Golf.

As a result, the CEO of LIV Golf, Greg Norman, celebrated by sharing what they have accomplished in the past three years. Flushing It Golf posted a brief statement from Norman talking about LIV Golf’s success. Appreciating their achievements, the “Great Shark” said, “We’ve seen our audience space go up. We’re in 450 million households every year, in 190 different countries.”

Additionally, Norman gave credit to the entire league and golfers, reflecting on their journey since 2022. They have been criticized from all sides for various things, including the format, poaching players, or the loud music. However, the former PGA Tour pro has moved on from all those criticisms, claiming that the league has shown the public and the golf ecosystem that they were additive to it. Norman added, “That was important for all of us to get through what we went through for a couple of years.”

Now, Norman is happy to have moved on from the early doubts about whether the league would even survive, but the criticism has not left the PIF-backed circuit, as the golf world used this opportunity to belittle the Aussie pro and his spearheaded league.

Netizens belittle Greg Norman’s 450M claim

Greg Norman’s claim that LIV Golf has been reaching 450 million households and 190 countries might have confused many. After all, the breakaway circuit visited only eight countries this year: the United Kingdom, Australia, Hong Kong, Spain, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the United States. So why did Norman claim 190 countries?

The “Great Shark” was probably implying that viewers could potentially tune in to the events, as the stream is available in those 190 countries, and the 450 million claim might be the aggregate of the audience tuning in. But that didn’t spare Norman from being trolled by the golf world. One fan took a jibe at Norman’s claim, saying, “Lmao. Um, Gregger? You’re not in 5% of the WORLD’s households.” Another thought was that it may be satirical coming from Norman, but it was indeed true. Being shocked at his statements, the user said, “He can’t be serious. Anybody that believes that is delusional.” 

Remember the $3 billion merger between the PGA Tour and PIF? Yes, that’s been in the works since June 2023, but instead of progress, there have only been delays. Fans are waiting, and probably the golfers too. The merger could allow LIV golfers to play a few events on the PGA Tour and might also let PGA Tour pros play on LIV Golf. Regardless, it would be a transactional deal. However, one user thought it would benefit LIV more, as they were not additive to the golf ecosystem, contrary to Norman’s claim. They commented, “450 million? Lol. What a lying buffoon. And anyone else with a pulse knows they have not been additive. If they were then there wouldn’t be talks of them having to merge with pgat and invest pif money in the tour.” 

The highest LIV Golf hit with TV ratings this year was at the season-opening event, LIV Golf Mayakoba’s final round on Sunday. Was it that entertaining? Yes, but the reason LIV Golf attained a record-breaking 432K viewers wasn’t just that. That week, the PGA Tour’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was also being contested, but due to inclement weather, the event ended after 54 holes, leaving LIV without competition on Sunday. Typically, LIV Golf averages over 100K viewers on the CW Network. Thus, the 450 million household claim stunned another fan, who said, “He’s so f***ing full of sh*t they’re barely 100,000 per round.” 

Last year, Golf.com reported that the league made zero revenue in the 2022 season, and in 2023, they didn’t make more than $100 million. It should be noted that, according to the New York Times, PIF has invested $2 billion into the league, but it has failed to generate significant revenue. As a result, one commenter noted, “Still probably losing billions a year though.”

Will LIV Golf actually come closer to breaking PGA Tour records and attracting a larger audience base in the USA or globally? That remains to be seen.