Tag: Majed Al Sorour

LIV Golf makes more changes ahead of second season with 2023 schedule, new role for Greg Norman

The schedule is out and Greg Norman has more responsibilities.

LIV Golf is making some big changes in 2023.

In the wake of players like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy saying Greg Norman should lose his job as commissioner and CEO of the upstart circuit backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Norman will now have an elevated role in the company as LIV makes more leadership changes ahead of its second year.

Majed Al-Sorour, CEO of the Golf Saudi Federation, will leave his position as LIV Golf’s managing director but remain as one of seven LIV Golf board members. Sports Illustrated was first to report the news.

“Majed Al-Sorour has been and will continue to be an invaluable part of LIV Golf, as he continues in his Board of Directors capacity,” said LIV Golf via a statement to Golfweek. “Majed’s role was pivotal in supporting the launch of LIV Golf. As the business transitions into its first full season with a new broadcast partnership in place, the time is right for the Managing Director role to transition and for Majed to focus efforts and attention on other interests.

“We are grateful for Majed’s hard work, contributions and getting LIV to this new stage.”

The SI report also included the complete schedule as LIV Golf transitions to its league format in 2023. Seven of the 14 events were already announced, with the league set to resume play, Feb. 24-26, at Mayakoba in Mexico. The league will unexpectedly return to Saudi Arabia for its season-ending team championship and also end a month later than previously planned.

LIV Golf 2023 schedule

Date Event Course City
Feb. 24-26 LIV Golf Mayakoba El Camaleon Golf Club Riviera Maya, Mexico
March 17-19 LIV Golf Tucson Gallery Golf Club Marana, Arizona
March 31-April 2 LIV Golf Orlando Orange County National (Crooked Cat) Orlando
April 21-23 LIV Golf Adelaide Grange Golf Club Adelaide, Australia
April 28-30 LIV Golf Singapore Sentosa Golf Club Sentosa, Singapore
May 12-14 LIV Golf Tulsa Cedar Ridge Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
May 26-28 LIV Golf Washington, D.C. Trump National Washington, D.C. Potomac Falls, Virginia
June 30-July 2 LIV Golf Valderrama Valderrama Sotogrande, Spain
July 7-9 LIV Golf London Centurion Club Hertfordshire, England
Aug. 4-6 LIV Golf Greenbrier The Greenbrier White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
Aug. 11-13 LIV Golf Bedminster Trump National Bedminster Bedminster, New Jersey
Sept. 22-24 LIV Golf Chicago Rich Harvest Farms Sugar Grove, Illinois
Oct. 20-22 LIV Golf Miami Trump National Doral Doral, Florida
Nov. 3-5 LIV Golf Jeddah Royal Greens Golf & Country Club King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia

The event in Orlando at Orange County National did not appear on last year’s schedule, and will be held the week before the Masters. The stop at Trump National in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. is also new in 2023. Last year’s team championship was held at Trump National Doral, but this year’s event at the former president’s club near Miami will be a normal, regular-season tournament.

Last week it was announced that LIV Golf had come to an agreement on a tv deal with the CW Network.

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Golf Saudi head walks back threat to start his own majors if LIV Golf players aren’t welcomed at the four majors

“The story wrongfully expressed and misrepresented my views.”

The head of Golf Saudi walked back comments he made to a reporter that he would “celebrate” if the four majors restricted LIV Golf players from competing in those tournaments and he would go so far as to “create my own majors for my players.”

If it sounds outlandish to you, you weren’t alone. Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Golf Saudi, comments that ran in a New Yorker story this week were widely panned. The whole story is worth reading but here’s the part pertaining to the majors.

There was speculation that the Masters might ban LIV players. “For now, the majors are siding with the Tour, and I don’t know why,” Sorour said. “If the majors decide not to have our players play? I will celebrate. I will create my own majors for my players.” He went on, “Honestly, I think all the tours are being run by guys who don’t understand business.”

On Thursday evening, Sorour released a statement on social media that neither denied the conversation happened nor that it was off the record.

“I had a casual conversation with a New Yorker reporter at LIV’s Boston event a few weeks ago, during which I expressed my frustration at the unfortunate blackballing of LIV Golf players by the PGA Tour,” his statement said. “When it comes to the majors, tournaments that stand alone and are independent of LIV, I have the utmost respect for the majors. The majors are about history, heritage, true competition and honor.

“The story wrongfully expressed and misrepresented my views. The majors are indeed the best platform where LIV golfers and other tour golfers can compete, despite the PGA Tour’s suspension of our players. As a LIV Golf board member and managing director, I am here to accomplish our LIV Golf investment chairman and the board’s strategic direction by building a team, growing the game and defending player rights. That is my only interest.’’

The upstart league that is at odds with the PGA Tour has long been criticized as a way for the Saudi government to “sportswash” its human rights record. The final of eight LIV Golf events, which are 54 holes with no cuts and guaranteed money for the 48-player fields, is scheduled for next week at Trump Doral in Miami.

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Majed Al Sorour, CEO of Saudi Golf, on if majors won’t allow LIV players: ‘I will celebrate. I will create my own majors for my players’

“For now, the majors are siding with the Tour, and I don’t know why.”

Two weeks ago, LIV Golf formed a ‘strategic alliance’ with the MENA Tour in an effort to expedite the qualification process of earning Official World Golf Ranking points for its members.

Many LIV players have plunged so far down the rankings they now sit in a position where they no longer qualify for major championships.

Majed Al Sorour, the CEO of Saudi Golf, spoke with The New Yorker about the game’s biggest events potentially not allowing LIV members to play.

“For now, the majors are siding with the (PGA) Tour, and I don’t know why. If the majors decide not to have our players play? I will celebrate. I will create my own majors for my players,” he said.

(L-R) Managing Director of LIV Golf Majed Al Sorour and Greg Norman, LIV commissioner acknowledge the crowd during the award presentation ceremony after the LIV Portland event at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

A day after LIV’s alliance with MENA was announced, the OWGR released a statement saying the LIV stops in Bangkok and Jeddah would not receive points and “a review of the changes to the MENA Tour is now underway by the OWGR.”

“Notice of these changes given by the MENA Tour is insufficient to allow OWGR to conduct the customary necessary review ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok (October 7-9) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (October 14-16),” the statement read.

Several LIV members are currently qualified for the 2023 Masters, the year’s first major, including Dustin Johnson and Cameron Smith.

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