EXCLUSIVE | Legend Greg Norman sees Great Future for Golf in India

Neeru Bhatia
04 Feb 2025
18:10

Golf legend and former world number one for record 331 weeks in late 1980s and 90s, Greg Norman came to India to watch the International Golf series India event at the picturesque DLF Golf course in Gurugram and while the action was quite interesting on the greens, without doubt the legendary Australian golfer was the star attraction overall. 

Greg Norman
Greg Norman

Norman, winner of the Open Championship in 1986 and 1993, sent the golf fans into a tizzy as he followed live action over a couple of holes. Asked about the 2 million dollar International-Series-cum-LIV-Golf event coming to India, Norman said India's top golfer Anirban Lahiri played a key role in getting the top-notch golf event and some of the world’s best golfers to Gurugram. 

While speaking to Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net) on Lahiri's role, Norman gave a full thumbs-up to the Indian ace golfer
I’m so glad you asked! Anirban was instrumental in getting us here. He and I talked about this two years ago — how to bring LIV to India:

Norman was really excited to see the 15-year-old golfer Kartik Singh rub shoulders with the golf’s top players by making the cut. He especially mentioned the young Indian player while talking about the golf scene in India. 

Norman added
We also see promising young players like Kartik Singh, a 15-year-old who made the cut. That’s what LIV and the International Series are about — creating opportunities for the next generation. That’s a decision for others to make now, but from my perspective, I would love to see LIV Golf come to India. The International Series is an important pathway to LIV. Through the Asian Tour, we’re creating opportunities for young golfers in India and beyond. If we can create stepping stones for success, it will help grow the sport worldwide. That was always my aspiration — to expand golf’s global reach through LIV.

The Australian legend pointed out that he has been having regular conversations with the likes of DLF promoter Rahul Singh on the golf related developments in India.

Norman revealed
I regularly speak with Rahul about developments in India. And the players love coming here—many of them even take time to visit the Taj Mahal, which, by the way, is on my bucket list!

Norman had once written that golf is a strong indicator of a nation’s progress and he reminded how he was involved in developing J.P. Greens in Greater Noida and another facility near Mumbai years ago. 

Asked whether he thought this was the right time for Indian golf, Norman averred to the same and said
Absolutely. As I said before, patience is key. If you look at Vietnam, Mexico, Sweden, or even China—China surged but then dropped due to government restrictions on golf course development. But golf will bounce back there. Timing is crucial. When all the right elements are in place, it leads to success. LIV has created a new competitive model, opening up golf’s ecosystem for growth. That’s good for golf.
On the perennial question of India being a sleeping giant when it comes to golf, Norman agreed to it wholeheartedly.
Absolutely! I mean, if you just look at the infancy of golf in India, it's really just beginning. I’ve seen it firsthand. I built a couple of golf courses here in India a decade or two ago, and we knew back then—actually, I knew even before that, when I came here to play golf—that there was immense potential. Fast forward to today—through my golf course design career, I know that 50% of all new golf courses being built today are between the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) and the Pacific Rim. That includes India, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.

Patience, said Norman, was the key to success in sports. 

Norman said
I’ve learned that in the world of sports, patience is crucial. If you stay patient and true to your vision, and if you have the right leadership—people like Rahul, who understands the markets we play in—it leads to growth. Golf is a relationship-driven business. What works in India is different from what works in the U.S., Japan, or South Africa. Understanding the nuances of each market is key,

Finally, he sounded confident about the future of the LIV Tour, a professional men's golf tour being promoted as a rival to the PGA Tour, saying the timing was right.

Norman averred
The right timing, combined with the right people—like Cho, Rahul, and the new CEO of LIV (Scott O'Neil)—determines how golf progresses. I don’t see LIV stopping anytime soon. It will become the true global golf platform, present on every continent.
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