The Asian Tour ‘caught off guard’ by Greg Norman’s LIV Golf Invitational, brings forward International Series London event

The Asian Tour will be forced to change the date of its first International Series London event, after Greg Norman’s new Saudi-backed golf venture muscled its way into the schedule.

Norman, who is bankrolling the tour’s new 10-tournament series through his LIV Golf Investments firm, launched another eight-event invitational series on Thursday aimed at taking on the PGA Tour.

Offering US$255 million in prize money, the LIV Golf Invitational series will hold tournaments in England, the United States, Thailand and Saudi Arabia and is geared towards enticing the game’s best to switch allegiances.

In a statement, organisers said the first 54-hole tournament would be at the Centurion Golf Club in Hertfordshire, on June 9 to 11, the week before the US Open. The Asian Tour’s event, with its US$2 million purse, was expected to be at same location from June 9 to 12.

A source said the Asian Tour had been caught “completely off guard” by Norman’s announcement. The International Series London event is now expect to take place in the first week of June.

Norman’s investment firm, which is primarily backed by the Saudi Arabia sovereign wealth fund, said it was providing more than US$400 million in “seed money” to launch the new series, which blends 54-hole stroke play with a team concept.

The firm has already committed US$300 million to the development of the Asian Tour. And to great fanfare in February, Norman joined Cho Minn Thant, the Tour’s CEO, to proclaim a “new era for Asian golf”.