New LIV Golf CEO Scot O’Neil is open to the possibility of working with the LPGA Tour.
O’Neil, who took over as CEO from Greg Norman in January, revealed the news in an interview with Australian Golf Digest, where he also explained that he would meet interim LPGA commissioner Liz Moore to discuss where LIV Golf may have a role to play in the women’s game.
He said: “I’ve had the privilege of having a couple of conversations with Liz Moore, who’s the interim LPGA commissioner. She’s going to join me in Miami, and we’re going to talk a little bit about about how we might contribute to the women’s game.
“With LIV’s introduction, we’d like to take all the good that we’ve learned and put that into practice if the women’s game is one that we enter.”
Before LIV Golf began, Norman claimed on the 5 Live Sport: All About... podcast that an offer of investment in both the LET and LPGA Tour by LIV Golf had been rejected, but in July 2022, Moore’s predecessor Mollie Marcoux Samaan admitted the LPGA Tour "would engage in a conversation" with LIV Golf.
She said: “It’s my responsibility to evaluate every opportunity. I would engage in a conversation if it would achieve our aim of promoting women’s golf but there needs to be input from players and sponsors. There’s a lot of factors to consider before we do business with LIV Golf.”
With two new figures at the helm of LIV Golf and the LPGA Tour, albeit on a temporary basis in the latter’s case, it appears the possibility is being looked at afresh.
O’Neil is currently attending LIV Golf Adelaide, where he also told Australian Golf Digest that he is hoping more players from the circuit will tee it up in the Australian Open in the future.
He said: “Some of it is how we get more players to the Australian Open. Some of it is what’s the time of the year that makes the most sense to get the best fields here. Some of it is how we grow the next generation of fans.”
Earlier in the month, it was revealed that the Australian Open will revert to a more conventional format following three editions where the men's and women's events took place on the same courses concurrently.
