Scott O’Neil has been appointed as the new chief executive of LIV Golf, taking over day-to-day management of the Saudi-funded breakaway from Greg Norman.
Norman was a divisive figure in golf’s ongoing civil war, with both Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods calling for him to quit.
McIlroy said in November 2022 that Norman should “exit stage left” to allow the “adults” to negotiate a deal between golf’s warring factions.
Norman had success in attracting some of the biggest player in the world to LIV Golf, such as Spain’s Jon Rahm
Two weeks later, Woods was asked whether LIV and golf’s traditional tours could co-exist.
“Not right now, not with their leadership, not with Greg there and his animosity towards the tour itself. I don’t see that happening,” the 15-time major winner said.
Announcing O’Neil’s appointment on Wednesday, LIV Golf chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan said: “On behalf of the board of directors, we welcome Scott to the LIV Golf family, knowing he will capitalise on everything that has been accomplished over the past three years.
“When we launched LIV Golf, there was no one that made more sense to lead the organisation other than Greg Norman.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin is the latest player heavily linked to a switch to LIV Golf
“I thank him for everything he has done to establish, launch and grow our league. He has been instrumental to LIV’s success.”
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