India part of two-time British Open champion Greg Norman’s conquest

NEW DELHI: Two-time British Open champion Greg Norman was the only player to lose all four Majors in a playoff following 72 holes, but he was not going to give up on this debate. The ‘Great White Shark’ whose hair, since his exploits on the greens to his influence off it, has turned from blonde to grey, was at the forefront of what Rory McIlroy had called the “civil war” of golf.
The golfing CEO who spent 331 weeks at No. 1 had been at the helm of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf since its inception in 2021 until last month, and was seen as largely responsible for creating tremors in the stable world of golf by luring top players away.

Without his signature straw hat, he chose to don the LIV cap again. “I’ve never shied away from trying to grow the game of golf in some way, shape or form. We bring a product that’s a plug-and-play. We bring franchise models. LIV created a new dynamic for the game because it gave an opportunity in the competitive golfing world for a new business model. Now you have TGL (the simulation golf series founded by Tiger Woods and McIlroy). You had topgolf.”
If you build, they will come. One of LIV’s star players, the hard-hitting reigning US Open Bryson DeChambeau showed his magnetic power at the Asian Tour’s elite LIV-backed International Series India presented by DLF, attracting hordes of spectators.
The DLF G&CC’s Gary Player course and its vicinity was replete with giant screens, makeshift galleries, overflowing food and beverages, and entertainment in the form of evening concerts. More than 15,000 turned up for the event according to official figures.
“I saw a long time ago that Asia was a sleeping giant, India too. I built a couple of golf courses here in India a decade or two ago, and we knew back then that there was immense potential,” said the man with 91 career victories. “I know that 50% of all new golf courses being built today are between the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and the Pacific Rim. That includes India, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. When you look at the opportunities for the next 25 years — essentially a generation — India is right in the middle of it.”
Although Indian wins have dried out a bit, Anirban Lahiri, who influenced his illustrious friends and Crushers teammates Bryson and Paul Casey, and the highly-rated Joaquin Niemann to come to this country, has been holding the flag high.
Anirban received $5,733,133 as total individual earnings in 2024. The 37-year-old reportedly earned $7 million for his contract. “Anirban was instrumental in getting us here. He and I talked about this two years ago — how to bring LIV to India,” said Norman. “But for that, you got to have a lot of the facilities, to swallow up this huge platform. Then we thought, the International Series.
“About signing him for LIV, when you break down region by region, who’s the most important player in this part of the world? Baan, he carries that energy, not only is a great golfer, he’s a great spokesperson, a great representative of your country.”
And then, there was the popularity of 15-year-old Kartik Singh, who was seen signing autographs for people of his grandparents’ age. “We see promising players like Kartik, who created history by making the cut. That’s what it’s about — creating opportunities for the next generation. Every country we go to has regional exemption.”
Back in 1994, Norman failed in a bid to establish a World Golf Tour after running into opposition from Arnold Palmer. Fast forward 30 years, LIV Golf season starts its fourth year in Riyadh this Thursday.
The Asian Tour had always been open to its investment. Post-Covid, the market slowed down significantly, and the $300m investment from LIV Golf for an elevated series of 10 events with enhanced purses of at least $2m, which also offered a pathway onto the League, was hugely welcomed despite the criticism. India was the first of the series in its fourth season.
“The Asian Tour quite honestly sat dormant and it really did for a long, long period of time. And because it wasn’t getting the recognition because the other tours were the tours trying to be above everybody, right? European Tour, the PGA Tour, nothing wrong with that. But you don’t forget about other regions of the world. So that’s why in the beginning, one of my initial focus points was to invest into the sleeping giant, which was the Asian Tour.”
What about India? “The success is the name of the quality of players you’ve got here. The success is television beaming it out to the world. The success is the sponsorships that come in. So it all works out for the right reasons,” said the 69-year-old.
“I’ve learned very, very early on in the world of sport, just be patient. No matter what market we go into, that market needs a different relationship. What we do here in India is totally different. So once you understand the DNA of what golf represents here, it will work out.”
There are other factors at work. “Social media is huge now and has a big play. When I played on the PGA Tour, the average age of the spectator was 67 years old; LIV has brought it below 44. Because we brought in the youthful side of it. It’s fast, it’s energetic, it’s entertaining, it’s family orientated. It finishes in four-and-a-half hours. Then you can go straight into a concert. So you’re creating this new atmosphere. You start looking at the youth with their snackable content. Last year, we wanted to capture the 25-to-35-year-old market.”
The big Aussie was here on special invitation to watch American Ollie Schneiderjens lift the trophy on Sunday and even had words of consolation for Niemann. On Monday, he was busy ticking off his bucket list. “Taj Mahal will be the last of the Seven Wonders of the world that I’ll see. I've seen the rest.”
A week later, he is back in Australia, where he has been appointed as a member of the organizing board for the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, which will be held in Norman’s home state of Queensland. “I’ve just got my little toe in the water right now. I’ve got a lot to learn. But I have an idea about golf in the Olympics,” he was already looking forward to the innovation he could bring to the riverside course of Royal Queensland.