Greg Norman and Asian Tour launch new International Series

We try and break down some of the scarce details on the new golf tour, The International Series, and why it’s leaving a such sour taste.

Greg Norman is the frontman for the Asian Tour and LIV Golf Investments’ newly launched tour – The International Series – and he fronted the media to give a few more details.

This one is a little messy and complex – and perhaps many of you aren’t even that interested in the details. But I thought I’d share some of the details with the help of the best golf writers going around and you can read more of each if you wish.

What is the International Series?
Beginning in Thailand in March, the International Series will comprise 10 tournaments spanning 10 countries including England, Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia before heading to the Middle East and then culminating in China, Singapore, and Hong Kong.

It’s part of the Asian Tour and each event will have a prize purse up to US$2m but other than the first two events, no exact dates and details have been given.

John Huggan commented on the uncertainty in his piece for Golf Digest:

“This is just the beginning,” Norman repeated on several occasions, a reference to the International Series and perhaps still other announcements.

Indeed, Norman and Thant were at pains to paint a positive picture of what lies ahead, both known and unknown. Which is perhaps understandable as far as Thant is concerned. The Asian Tour only recently returned from a 21-month pandemic-induced period of inactivity, one that made it, in the minds of some cynics, susceptible to offers from controversial quarters.

Who’s going to play in it?
No one knows for sure yet. Asian Tour players of course but nothing yet on any high-profile international players.

Why is it controversial?
Like the Saudi Invitational event, this week – which has lured many players with huge appearance fees – the money is coming from Saudi Arabia – with links back to the Saudi regime. The same ones accused of murdering journalist

Eamon Lynch’s takes on this are always perfectly on point. His latest piece is no different:

It promises to be a discordant week in golf as the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am is held opposite the Bonesaw Invitational. On one side we have an iconic venue, a longtime sponsor whose investment in the sport runs to tens of millions of dollars annually and a worthy charitable beneficiary. Eight thousand miles to the east, there is only money—unless you think bailing certain golfers out of their financial misadventures constitutes charity.

Geoff Shackelford’s Quadrilateral (paid subscription) is worth your time (and money). Shackelford rips into the whole Saudi-backed idea, counts the number of times Norman mentions “grow the game” and breaks down every bit of the press conference – which you can see below.

But we also know the sport is better off with a healthy professional game that gives back and inspires people. Yet in Norman’s LIV Golf world of trying to sell a new Saudi Arabia-backed golf entity, he’s rescuing touring pros from anti-competitive restrictions placed on them by stupid things like economic models. Free them with money from people who have no model other than to make you forget how awful they are, and voila, we have trickle down golf economics. At least in Norman’s world. Some of the time.

It’s also in direct competition to the well established European Tour DP World Tour and US PGA Tour.

And Australia missed out on any events in the International Series, despite Norman’s involvement.

As Australian Golf Digest’s Brad Clifton reported, Norman claims that’s because Australian golf has chosen to align itself with the European Tour.

But a glaring omission from the new-look schedule was Norman’s homeland. Australia was widely tipped to be a beneficiary of the Shark’s crusade for global expansion. But the recent decision made by the ISPS Handa PGA Tour of Australasia (PGATA) to extend its strategic alliance with the DP World Tour until 2026 poses a significant conflict of interest for Australia’s governing bodies.

But perhaps the weirdest bit of the presser was Greg Norman’s love for pie which was picked up by a number of people including Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine.

Norman then attempted to provide a dessert analogy for the current situation.

“There’s a piece of pie, right?” Norman began. “So, if these institutions you’re talking about, if a piece of that pie has disappeared, does the pie get smaller or does the pie get bigger? We see the piece of pie that we’re taking, the opportunity to see through the lost opportunity, makes the pie bigger. When you look at Facebook, share price was $3 at one time. Now what is it?