LIV Golf might be finding it difficult to survive at the moment. With the PIF planning to pull out, they might not have the funds to run their model of golf. Despite its possible demise, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp believes that they benefited from LIV Golf’s existence. And in turn, he ended up proving Greg Norman right.

Rolapp told Pat McAfee, “I think LIV did what the AFL did for the NFL years ago. Maybe what the USFL did for the NFL years ago. Basically, competition can make it better. Whenever you get competition, you end up figuring out what you do well and what you don’t do well.”

Without competition, a product tends to get stale. That’s exactly what the PGA Tour was heading towards before the arrival of LIV Golf. Jay Monahan took action, and the Signature events emerged. And as Tom Hoge believes, that hugely benefited the players and the level of competition within the PGA Tour.

Rolapp added, “That’s what LIV did was expose some things that the PGA Tour could do better. How we can make it better for fans? How we can make it better for professional golfers? How we can make it better for our television partners?”

“The changes that the Tour has made before I got here, the changes we’re doing now show that when you do those things, fans go to where the best product is and where the best golfers are. I think LIV did the professional golf world a favor. I spend most of my time thinking about the PGA Tour. The future is really bright for us and for professional golf.”

With the PGA Tour’s monopoly on professional golf, it could dictate the sport and the players as per its strategy. However, since LIV Golf arrived, the best players in the world have been able to see what is possible. One of the possibilities they explored was the ownership of the IP rights. Since LIV Golf pros started managing their IP rights, the PGA Tour players also saw it as an opportunity to grow their brand and took control of it.

Norman has not only taken credit for changing the landscape of golf. He also believes he deserves credit for the individual achievements of some of the players.

Why Scottie Scheffler & Co. should be thankful for Greg Norman?

During the emergence of LIV Golf, stars like Scottie Scheffler & Co. have also risen through the ranks on the PGA Tour. The world #1 alone has achieved an immense amount of success in the last four years. But more than the trophies he has won, Norman believes he deserves credit for the big paychecks he has banked.

Since 2022, Scheffler has won a number of Signature events. The increased purses for those events have helped him achieve remarkable heights. While Norman acknowledges how consistent he has been, the Great White Shark thinks he wouldn’t have earned as much if it weren’t for the former LIV Golf CEO.

Scheffler broke all barriers and became the third-highest earner on the PGA Tour. He crossed the $100 million PGA Tour earnings mark in January 2026. The only players who stand ahead of him now are Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. And the world #1 is only around $7 million behind the Irishman and $13 million behind the Big Cat. It won’t come as a surprise if Scheffler surpasses them in the near future.

Would that have been possible without LIV Golf? Greg Norman believes that Scheffler would have taken many more years to achieve the feat if it weren’t for the changes the PGA Tour introduced after the PIF-funded league began.

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