Greg Norman, the commissioner of LIV Golf, and Jon Rahm have both stated that the breakaway tour is amenable to switching to a 72-hole format.
The breakaway LIV Golf League may switch to a 72-hole format, according to Jon Rahm and Greg Norman.
Before Adelaide hosted LIV’s sixth event of 2024, Rahm and Norman spoke with the media.
Mostly, Norman talked extensively about the ridiculous rumors about Rory McIlroy that caused a media storm after the Masters.
Norman questioned: “Would we be happy to sit down with Rory if he was willing to come down and talk to us?
“In every way, exactly the same as any other player who might be interested in joining us and playing”
Furthermore, The Great White Shark acknowledged that he was nervous to stroll Augusta National’s fairways.
“I went, ‘Whew,’ after my first hour of walking around, and I just relaxed and had a great time,” he remarked.
However, what about the times ahead? It’s evident that LIV’s flexibility and willingness to try new ideas is one of their strong points.
LIV Golf was designed to be golf but with a louder sound. 54-hole competitions that are shorter in length in an effort to attract new players.
Whether that is working remains to be seen.
Earlier in the month, Rahm, the aforementioned, attempted to defend the green jacket after complaining about the format.
To put it mildly, his remarks were intriguing considering that he supposedly received payment of half a billion dollars to join LIV.
Rahm now argues that going back to 72 will inspire golfers to “trust” LIV.
Since it’s a little closer to what we’re used to seeing in golf, I think there’s a certain amount of comfort when I say that, he said.
That’s a lot of the complaints I see from a lot of people, so I came to this realization and I think it could help a lot of fans’ trust in LIV a little bit more. However, I made the analogy a little while ago of why I think we can end up with a great product.
“In European football, there are numerous competitions such as the Premier League, Spanish League, German League, Serie A, Champions League, Euro Cup, and many more.
They all play by the same set of rules, that much I’ve realized. The main distinction is the number of holes—72—even though we play by most sets of rules.”
He went on: “Tennis is the only sport that I can think of that plays it a little bit differently from other sports where players play nearly identically and then the grand slams are different.
“Even within them, there were uniform rules for every competition or championship. That’s one of the main reasons I think it might be beneficial to us.
However, LIV is ultimately a business. It is not a fit for the product if it is not compatible with it. All I am is a player.
“There are plenty of intelligent people out there who can figure out why they think 54 holes might be better for them than I can.
“I can tell you from player experience, and I tell those who argue with me that by the time Sunday rolls around, you’ve only played three rounds.
“There is no distinction. You’re in a race to prevail. Either you succeed or you fail.
“At the end of the day, you really don’t think about it because you’re so focused on the competition, which is the same, even if I told you that there were 54 holes.
“Whether you were leading by one or two shots or trailing by one or two, the emotions were the same as you prevailed in the closing stages. That would be my rebuttal to that as well. If you haven’t given it a chance and haven’t experienced it, it’s not fair to judge without knowing.
Norman acknowledged that LIV was amenable to change and said Rahm “hit the nail on the head.”
He declared, “It’s a great conversation to have.” “We’ll keep having that conversation in the future.”
“We all want to see this resolved”
Rahm took some time to comment elsewhere on the most recent events involving the PGA Tour and LIV’s supporters.
The two tours are still working to ratify the framework agreement from last June.
Rory McIlroy has returned to the policy board in an attempt to resolve the impasse, but it seems that the talks have stalled.
“The very intelligent people who are behind this are attempting to determine what’s best for golf,” Rahm stated.
To be honest, though, I haven’t talked to enough PGA Tour players to know where they stand.
“I’m not sure if it’s a general lack of knowledge or impatience.
But I believe that everyone wants to see this resolved. Everyone wants to see a solution to this.
“As I have stated numerous times, we have the chance to take golf to new heights in international markets. If done well, I believe we can create a better product for everyone and elevate golf to a higher level as a global sport.”
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