Greg Norman in Paris! Pascal Grizot chats with the boss of LIV

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman spent the evening in Paris with Pascal Grizot and Christophe Muniesa. The three men dined at the Cheval Blanc Hotel restaurant on the banks of the Seine.

This is information obtained from a reliable source by Golf Planet which raises a lot of questions. Greg Norman, Pascal Grizot And Christopher Muniesa spoke for more than two hours during a dinner on Wednesday evening in Paris.

Information verified and confirmed by several people present in the group’s Luxury Hotel LVMH that evening, but that the President of the French Golf Federationcontacted by us, did not wish to comment, leaving room for all interpretations.

In our opinion, there are several possibilities to explain this meeting because it seems difficult to imagine that it was just a courtesy dinner. Let us clarify that at this stage and while waiting to learn more, these are hypotheses.

The French Open on the LIV Golf calendar?

The first, almost too obvious, of course concerns the possibility of organizing a tournament of LIV Golf in France. Annoyed by the lack of enthusiasm shown by the PGA Round and the DP World Round to respond favorably to his desire to see the FedEx French Open be among the events co-sanctioned by the two circuits, in the same way as the Genesis Scottish Openis Pascal Grizot dreaming of a LIV Open de France?

Unlikely in our opinion. The President of the FFGolf seems to us to be too attached to the historical and traditional values ​​of golf to “disguise” the oldest continental Open.

The French Open soon on the Asian Tour?

The second hypothesis would consist of making the French Open a stage International Series of the Asian Tour. A circuit in full swing and made very attractive with the help of the financial windfall from the PIF (Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia).

This hypothesis of a split with the DP World Tour, now subservient to the American circuit, seems plausible. Especially when the tournament has returned to the setting of the National Golf in 18 to 24 months and that the DP World Tour’s stranglehold on the organization of the competition will come to an end.

Grizot as mediator?

Finally, and this seems to us to be the explanation closest to the truth, the meeting took place at the request of Yasir Al-Rummayan (the director of the Sovereign Fund) with whom the two ffgolf leaders had shared a game in the summer of 2022, in the hope of playing a role as mediators from the start of the Circuit War.

This summer, Pascal Grizot once again had the opportunity to speak in person with MBS’s right-hand man (Mohammed bin Salmanthe Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia).

We know the desire of the President of the ffgolf to bring about a solution of appeasement between the different entities, in order to ensure that the best interests of golf prevail!

In this kind of battle of egos, it is often with the help of third parties and through mediation that compromises are built leading to lasting agreements.