One of the more colourful media personalities is interested in teaming up with the LIV Golf tour.
In an appearance on The Next Round, Charles Barkley said that he is planning to meet with Greg Norman about a potential offer for him to take on a role with the tour as a broadcaster.
“Nothing that’s imminent, I actually don’t know everything they want from me, or what they technically want me to do, but you’ve got to always look at every opportunity that’s available,” Barkley said. “So the answer to your question is, 100 per cent yes, I’m going to meet with LIV.”
Barkley stressed that nothing is imminent and he doesn’t know what type of role he would be in line for. The currently broadcast for the golf tour, which is only available via online streaming, has Arlo White, former voice of the Premier League on NBC, as its announcer along with former Golf Channel analyst Jerry Foltz and Dom Boulet.
The upstart series, fronted by Norman, aims to challenge the PGA Tour and has lured players with big signing bonuses, no cuts, guaranteed money for the 48-player fields, as well as multi-million dollar deals, some in the ballpark of $100-plus million. But critics call the tour an attempt at “sportswashing” to detract from Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses, including the murder of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.
Four-time major winner Brooks Koepka, former US Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and ex-Masters champion Patrick Reed have joined Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and many other players.
The PGA Tour responded to LIV Golf’s challenge by suspending every active member who competed in the first LIV event.
Tiger Woods ripped the upstart LIV Golf series and Norman during his pre-tournament press conference at the British Open for what it is doing to the game.
Norman was not invited to celebrations for the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews this week, a decision the 15-time major winner said he agreed with.
“Greg has done some things that I don’t think are in the best interests of our game and we’re coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe it was the right thing,” Woods said.
