Norman On Premier League: "The whole idea of owning a team is something I wish I’d thought about in my concept.”

Yes, he takes his shirt off way too often for a grown man and sees himself as the living brand. He’s also not good with a hedge trimmer in his hand.

But one thing I’ve heard repeatedly upon news of a hostile world tour concept surfacing: Greg Norman was ahead of his time. And we all know Tim Finchem took those ideas in the early 1990s, maybe outplayed Norman, and the PGA Tour adapted with the World Golf Championships.

But as the World Golf Group pushes an individual and team concept, fans and media are trying to wrap their heads around what it all means. Golf.com’s James Colgan talked to Greg Norman after the Shark’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia where he praised the concept but was light on what exactly he saw as smart about the Premier Golf League.

Turns out, he’s been briefed and likes it way more than he initially let on. Some of the quotes from Colgan’s story will not go over well parts of northern Florida.

“Why would they rule it out when you actually look at the financials?” Norman asked. “If you’re a player, my gosh, you’re a professional, so you play golf for a living to make money. When you see the compelling numbers that are in front of these guys, you wonder: how could you not pay attention?”

And so far, not one player of note has been able to completely rule out the proposals as worth considering.

As for the notion of 12 founding team owners who get to enjoy an investment (or sell it) after their playing days?

“The whole concept of owning a team, I think that’s brilliant,” he said. “So, as you fade away as a top player, you still own a team, like Formula 1. The whole idea of owning a team is something I wish I’d thought about in my concept.”

When you get the Shark admitting he hadn’t thought of something, you know you’re onto something.

There is also this comment related to the focus on the must-have stars and the need for this to work now, or never.

“I’m not talking about the players very much, and that’s because, if the concept is right, the players will always be there,” he said. “These guys are pass-through entities. The Tiger Woods’ of the world, the Rory McIlroy’s, the Koepka’s, the Dustin Johnson’s. These guys are eventually going to move on in time. But the concept is not.”

He also mentioned this about the primary funders, the Raine Group.

“There are smart people behind this. The Raine Group, they’re Wall Street geniuses,” Norman said. “They’re not doing this to give away money, they’re doing this to get a return on their investment.”