Saudi-backed Asian Tour are taking on dominance of PGA Tour & DP World Tour

Greg Norman insists his prime motivation is to "grow the game of golf". It therefore makes us wonder why the Saudi Arabian-backed Asian Tour he promotes is staging a $2m event in England this June?

There are already nine men's professional events in the UK between May and October in 2022. In golf terms it is hardly "virgin space", another Norman buzz phrase.

Why the need to bring the Asian Tour's International Series to the Centurion Club near St Albans - incidentally, the home town of Samuel Ryder, founder of the Ryder Cup, the biggest golf show on the planet?

The date, 9-12 June, comes the week before the third men's major of the year, the US Open, and coincides with the Scandinavian Mixed tournament in Sweden. That is another "grow the game" event and comes from the established men's and women's tours in Europe.

Well, the reason the Centurion Asian Tour event is happening is because Norman's company, Liv Golf Investments, wants to shake the status quo and take on the dominance of the American-based PGA Tour and European-based DP World Tour.

He is challenging the notion that they have a divine right to be the game's pre-eminent circuits, so he is parking Saudi-funded golf buggies on the manicured lawns of the golfing establishment.

Come June, Hertfordshire will not be staging the biggest tournament, it will not have the strongest field, but it might have potential to be an event of true significance to the future of the world game.

Most likely, Norman's ultimate aim is to create a Formula 1-style Super Golf League. "Absolutely there are going to be things announced in the future," Norman said.

"But right now our focus is on this. Our mission is to make sure this platform is firmly cemented in the world of golf.

"The journey, this is not a one-off. You want to sit back and see the evolution and how this is all building out, it's going to be an incredible one."

And he sees no need for geographical limits. "The International Series is not going to be geo-fenced," said the former world number one.

"We want to get the message out there that it's not specifically for the Asian region, and that's critically important for everybody to understand.

"Healthy competition and respectful competition should be spread globally. That's why we're not going to geo-fence this.

"That's why it's so encouraging that we can go to London (St Albans). It'll be so encouraging when we go to the United States. Remember what I said, this is just the beginning."

Detail remains short but we do know the International Series will start in Thailand in March and visits England in June. It also plans to stage events in the Middle East, another traditional heartland for Europe's Race to Dubai.

Several questions were ignored during today's news conference, with most journalists on a video stream and asked to write down their queries. Among them was one posted by a British journalist wondering whether perceived hostility towards this project is down to the source of its funding.

The backing for the now $300m International Series comes from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. In many quarters it is regarded as "sportswashing" for a Kingdom heavily criticised for its human rights record.

This is why many of the world's best players taking part in this week's flagship Saudi Invitational have been reminding us that they are "not a politician".

They are independent contractors and many are picking up vast cheques courtesy of the PIF for their participation.

But if Norman's project develops into a super league, how independent do those contractors become? And where will the players sit with the PGA and DP World Tours?

Could there be bans from the Ryder Cup for those who commit further to the Saudi project?

Will the likes of Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Henrik Stenson, Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter - all playing at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club this week - take themselves out of the running for future European captaincy roles?

These are questions doing the locker room rounds at the moment and the one consistent message that comes back says the sums of money involved are too big to ignore.

This is the biggest topic in the game and remains shrouded in uncertainty. What we do know now is that this 10-tournament International Series is going to happen with the aim of dramatically spreading the Asian Tour's sphere of influence.

Norman tries to give the impression he is being diplomatic and among his corporate management speak he claims they are not looking for a fight. "We're in this for the good of the game," he insisted.

"It's disappointing, personally disappointing, to see some of the attacks that have been taking place unwarrantedly.

"If you pre-judge anybody without knowing the facts, then shame on you."

The fighting talk continued: "What is LIV Golf Investments doing that you are scared of? Why do you have to have these attacks to the level they do?

"Understand the fact that we have always been, and continue to be, very collaborative and cooperative with any of the institutions right across the board. We want to work together side by side."

How that might be achieved, with stakes so high for the entire professional game, is anyone's guess.