LIV GOLF MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 14, 2022

Greg Norman

Press Conference

Q. Obviously you touched on this a bit in the press conference earlier, but as an Australian and a golf fan first and foremost, how important is this day, and what does it mean to you to have Australia confirmed on the LIV calendar?

GREG NORMAN: Look, I think it's always been a solid priority of mine to get LIV down here to Australia. I've always been a staunch proponent myself personally as a player to promote the game of golf in Australia. I did it for decades and decades. So I made the journey down here, and I knew how the Australian market was basically devoid of quality players to the magnitude of what LIV has on its books, and I knew LIV and the Australian public would just absolutely embrace our platform.

I'm just so proud I could do it and in such a short time period.

But I couldn't have done it quite honestly without having someone like Cam Smith willing to commit to team Aussie. So for him coming on board and to see the way he has 120 percent embraced LIV and the LIV family concept has helped accelerate it all.

Q. I'm glad you touched on that because I'm interested to know if someone of Cam's caliber wasn't able to come on board, do you think launching an event in Australia next year still would have been a realistic possibility, or did you really need that big name?

GREG NORMAN: Well, we don't have to really worry about that because we're here. We've got Cam, we're on board with Cam and Leish and a litany of other great players who are sitting out there in the wings.

I think what Punch GC did this year in a very short time period was pretty phenomenal. To see what happened in Miami with Cam going against DJ down to the last putt of the whole season is what it was all about. We're lucky. I don't really have to answer that question because we are where we are, and it's very, very positive.

Q. You've obviously had a lot of chats with Cam and Leish and some of the other Aussie guys. Just interested to know how excited they are and what they've had to say about today's announcement.

GREG NORMAN: Yeah, it's a process. If I was in their shoes, I'd be making as many phone calls as I could possibly make to ascertain the right decision to make. You can only make a decision on facts. The naysayers that are out there, some players, haven't sat down and understood the facts of what LIV Golf is all about and the opportunity it presents, not just for the individuals but for the team.

To see what's happening over our beta season this year, how the players have 101 percent embraced the team concept, that's been one of the most exciting outcomes from my perspective. All of them, from DJ to Cam to every principal player involved with LIV, they care more about their team members and how the team members are playing on a per-round basis than they do on their individuals. That's what the whole franchise value, the unlocked value that we've recognized going forward is what LIV is all about.

Yes, the individual players, yes, they want to go one-on-one like DJ and Cam did on the 18th hole the last round in Miami. Of course they love the individual one-on-one. But each time they do individually one-on-one, they're representing their team members.

I think that's something that hasn't been spoken about enough, and it's really going to start showing through 2023 onwards as we launch LIV as a league.

Q. Obviously it's a big step for Australia that outside of Presidents Cup they don't get much of a great men's field to see. But how big is Australia coming on board for LIV Golf? This market to LIV Golf, what does it mean for you?

GREG NORMAN: Look, every market is important. The southern hemisphere market is important with what we've got with Team South Africa. They've cordoned off that section of the southern hemisphere. Australia is really important, as well, too. The Latino team we've got that goes all through Central America and South America, those are the things that when you really start looking down to what LIV delivers, it's the footprint that goes across a global platform.

Australia has been starved, right. Yes, the Presidents Cup has been here, the World Cup has been here, but for consistency year in and year out, what LIV can do through South Australian government, through coming down here with a multiyear commitment that we've given to Australia and going into the future is something that's important, no different than what it is in any other country, any other region around the world.

We recognize these opportunities where markets have been starved. We recognize that in America with local markets, whether it's the northeast, whether it's Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, those areas, New Jersey, those areas where golf was starved, golf was not being played, so we identified those markets and went after them.

Q. My last question is about Adam Scott who identifies as a Queenslander but is an Adelaide boy; how big would it be to -- I know you've previously said it's over to Cam Smith to try and convince him, but any thoughts on the potential of Adam Scott joining in the future?

GREG NORMAN: Look, I think that's more of a Cam Smith decision, right? Cam has got to build out his franchise. Cam is responsible for his franchise along with Marc Leishman. They've got to look what's best for them going forward.

Yeah, we have a list of Australian players that we've got the opportunity of looking at, and quite honestly, again, it's something that Cam has got to come to us and talk to us about it because as our business model is structured going into next year, the principal players or their franchises have the responsibility of building out their teams and everybody around it, so they've got to look out for their P&L.

Q. Obviously this has been dragging on for a while -- I shouldn't say dragging on for a while now because that makes it sound like it's not necessarily a positive thing. But are you still open to sitting down with other governing bodies and trying to bring everything back together? Where are we at with that side of things? Is it completely divorced and nothing happening?

GREG NORMAN: Yeah, I think quite honestly, the honest answer to that is the ball is in their court, not ours. We've reached out on numerous occasions and numerous different avenues to try and introduce what LIV can do. We do know that some of the institutions around the world have seen the platform, so really the ball is in their court, to be honest with you. I'm not exhausting any more energy on it. We've seen the success in our beta season this year, what LIV has delivered.

Obviously we're continually improving on whatever we have on there with our business model and our platform. We're always going to improve on it. We are a force for good. We do fit within the ecosystem, and we're not going anywhere. We're just going to keep building on it, building on it and getting better and better and better, and the support we're getting from the players and the fans and sponsors, the interest we're getting across the board is an incredible indicator of our very early success in one year.

Q. Where are you with the majors and World Ranking points and that sort of stuff? Are you making headway there?

GREG NORMAN: Well, I'm not in direct communication with the majors. I think the comments you've read from the R&A I think is a very, very positive sign.

I would say my comment about the majors, I just hope they stay Switzerland. They want the best field. They don't want to miss out on a Cam Smith or a Dustin Johnson or any of the players. They want the best players in the field because they have a responsibility to their broadcasters. They have a responsibility to their institution, which is the Masters, the Open, the U.S. Open or the PGA of America. They should not take sides. If they do take sides, it tells you that maybe there should be a bit of a look into the way the structure of their boards are.

But at the end of the day, they should stay Switzerland for the betterment of the game, and the game of golf, that's the most important thing coming out of all this, competition is the best thing. The Masters should always be the top four most elevated events, and they're going to have the best competition when they have the best competitors, all the competitors playing in their events.

Q. How are you holding up, Greg? You're coming a bit of flak, getting belted every now and then. How are you holding up on a personal level?

GREG NORMAN: Look, me myself, I'm very, very proud of what I've done. I'm proud of my team, a lot of people on this call here. There's got to be some person who's got to run through the brick wall, and you can't get bloody -- if you run through a brick wall, you're always going to get blood on you. To be honest with you, I'm proud of the delivery mechanism that we've put together. I'm proud of the fact that we've introduced new competition that's been desperately needed. I'm proud of the fact that the PGA TOUR has had to react to LIV, and to see what they've done within the PGA TOUR in such a short period of time is testament to what competition is all about.

The disappointing side of the whole thing is the hypocrisy of what's been going on. That's what's been disappointing to me the most, because we have had the opportunity, we wanted the opportunity. We were willing to sit down in the beginning, but they made the decision to go down the path they wanted to go down, and so at the end of the day, all their narrative and banning players and saying the things they're saying about LIV, they've opened up Pandora's box from a DOJ's perspective, from an IRS's perspective, from all these institutions that are looking in now. That's because they challenged us; we didn't challenge them.

Q. You're still going to cop a lot of flak for sports washing when it comes out, Mate. How are you prepared for that? Where are you at with the criticism of where the money is coming from? It's going to be brought up in the next coming days and in April; where are you at with the accusations of sports washing?

GREG NORMAN: Look, all I'm going to talk about is the game of golf, right? But when I stood here today next to the Premier of South Australia and to hear about the amount of connection and trade that goes on between the South Australian government and Saudi Arabia through agriculture, it is amazing.

We are here for the game of golf. We are here for the betterment of the game of golf. We're the force for good in the game of golf. These questions will continually come up. But then again, the questions should come up against the PGA TOUR; why do they have 27 title sponsors that do work with Saudi Arabia; why this, why that.

The focal point -- it was interesting last night actually, I get back to my room and I've turned on T20, which I don't get to see in the United States, and I see England is playing Pakistan, and I'm looking at the advertising around there and there's Aramco. I thought, wow, this is pretty cool; Aramco is involved with cricket. Then I did a little Google search and they're absolutely investing in that sport.

It's just interesting why golf is getting this focused attention, when there's other investments going on in other sports across the globe that are probably more significant than what we're doing just in golf.

Q. Someone mentioned Adam Scott there before; I was watching Jason Day on the TV just recently. He would seem someone you might want to target. Have you targeted him or will you, or is that another question for Smithy?

GREG NORMAN: No, I'm not getting into the players who we're targeting or not targeting. We just had a conversation about Adam Scott before. Basically as we look into the future, it's the franchises. They're responsible to build out their franchises right now. So each and every one look at different players from a different perspective. I will say this: We will end up signing more players for sure. There's a lot of interest because of the success of what happened this year. There have been a few players sitting on the sidelines, and now that they've seen the success and seen what the play of DJ and the success of the 4Aces, it's a very, very compelling opportunity for players who have been observers to sit back.

The other thing you've got to remember, too, these players still speak to each other. They don't hate each other like has been said in some of the narrative in the media. These guys are still locker room mates. They still play golf together. They still go back home and some live in the same city and go to the same golf course. They speak to each other. If it's not the players, it's the caddies speak to each other. If it's not the caddies, the wives speak to each other.

To hear the camaraderie and the family support that we have within LIV is resonating on the outside, and people are wanting to say, how do I get in there, how do I get in.

The people who have been the bystanders trying to sit on the side line and watch, they're the ones who probably -- not probably, they're the ones who are knocking on our doors now.

Q. The value of the franchises is pretty exciting, but it's going to take TV deals on those franchises to make them valuable. Where are you at with TV? Where are you at with getting your sport, your league, whether it's free-to-air or cable or other avenues?

GREG NORMAN: Yeah, it's a priority for us; there's no two ways about it. We've showcased the platform. We've seen the excitement. We've delivered on it from a players and from a team perspective and a fan perspective. Of course it's a priority for us. We are working on that as we speak, as I'm here in Australia; I have a team back in the United States working on it.

The other one obviously is OWGR. It's important for us to get that, as well, too.

So there's two hurdles left. We'll get those hurdles jumped, and I believe we'll get them jumped very, very soon.

Q. I just wanted to double check something. It's definitely four years in Adelaide for the initial commitment?

GREG NORMAN: Yeah, the Premier said that today; it's four years, yep.

Q. Did you think about going to Queensland or to Gold Coast or Brisbane or Sydney, or what sort of plan beyond that four years, as well?

GREG NORMAN: Yeah, that's a good question. I sent a team down here months and months ago to canvas. Obviously growing up in Australia and playing golf on all the great golf courses we have down here, I gave them a list, a multiple list, maybe two dozen golf courses in Australia to go check out.

In that whole process, we have to -- my team understands the logistical necessity to host a LIV event. It's a different platform, different fingerprint. There are certain criteria we need.

So as my team came back and they gave me their list of maybe eight out of the 24 for us to go through, and then you start negotiating, and when I put the call in to the Premier of South Australia, his reaction was so positive because he loves golf, he loves LIV, he loves the footprint that LIV can deliver. He loves the mechanism that LIV can deliver from an economic standpoint for his state, from a tourism perspective.

The acceleration of the conversation was almost like lightning speed. I complimented him actually because it's interesting to see, to hear that they grasped hold of the value of what LIV can do from a delivery mechanism, from an economic standpoint.

I'm proud to be in South Australia. Obviously my first tournament win as a professional golfer was here, so from my perspective, I redesigned the Grange Golf Club where we're going to be, so I have a little bit of a soft spot for it, but I couldn't let emotion override the business decision, so the business decision came forth with the communication and discussions we had with the South Australian government, and the Premier has been phenomenally supportive in this whole initiative.

Q. I know you're not going to mention specific names or players that you're hoping to sign for next year for 2023, but can I ask you a question in these terms: Do you expect to have top 10, top 20, top 50 players join next year for 2023? Can you give us an indication about where those players stand, who you're targeting for next year?

GREG NORMAN: Yes.

Q. Are they top 10? Are they top 20, 50?

GREG NORMAN: Yes.

That might be the shortest answer I've ever given in my 45 years of doing media.

Q. Obviously these Australian events are going to be held very close, two weeks after the Masters next year. What would it mean to you to see one of the LIV players win the green jacket next year assuming they still allow the LIV players to play?

GREG NORMAN: Look, from my perspective, I can answer this as a player, and I think it's important for the players to be able to go play as independent contractors in the majors. The majors must, must stay Switzerland. The majors need the strength of field. They need the best players in the business. They want the best competition for their broadcasting, for their sponsors, all the other things that come with it.

So I do hope they stay Switzerland.

If it is a LIV player who wins a major next year, that goes to show you how we work within the ecosystem. These players are the best. These players made a decision to come to LIV because it was a decision for them from a generational wealth opportunity to have freedom to do what they wanted to do, to give them the freedom to go play other tours without having to be restricted to one. They have choices now.

This is the beauty of what LIV is all about, and if a LIV player goes and wins any other tournament on any other Tour, happy days. Competition is the best thing for everybody. Competition is the best thing for the PGA TOUR.

The players on the PGA TOUR are the benefactors of what LIV has done being a leader on a new delivery mechanism or platform. Every PGA TOUR player should be thanking LIV, including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, because the PIP program wouldn't have been increased without LIV. Prize money wouldn't have been increased without LIV, all these other things that have been introduced by the PGA TOUR because of LIV. Competition is the best thing in life, in business and in sport. LIV is not going to go anywhere. LIV is just going to get better and better and better, and LIV Golf has only just begun.