Is LIV Golf headed for Phuket? That’s the buzz on the Thai holiday island following a visit from Greg Norman to Blue Canyon Country Club after the LIV Golf Singapore tournament at Sentosa Golf Club in April.
The speculation is also heightened by a remake of Blue Canyon’s revered Canyon Course (pictured) just two years after a previous renovation by its Thai owners, new land clearing on the 36-hole facility for additional real estate offerings and the need for substantial redevelopment of the ageing clubhouse, practice and other facilities.
Blue Canyon chairman, Praphant Asava-aree, has hinted of a possible LIV tournament on the course that staged the Johnnie Walker Classic, won by Norman in 1994, and subsequently played there in 1998 and 2007.
“We are delighted to welcome Greg Norman,” he said at the time. “His visit signifies a new chapter of possibilities for Blue Canyon Country Club and we are discussing potential projects that will further enhance the golfing experience at our club. The club team is confident the collaboration will bring new levels of excitement and opportunities for golf enthusiasts in the region and across the world.”
Now the word around Blue Canyon is that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns LIV Golf, will invest in or possibly buy the 720-acre facility that sits next to Phuket International Airport in a verdant valley with views to the Phang Nga mountains.
The property includes substantial real estate in the form of upmarket villas and condominiums, with room for many more.
Blue Canyon has struggled for the past decade following an ownership dispute leading to a hostile takeover by Phuket businessman Thanit Rattanakamchai in 2014 from its then Singaporean owner. There is also an ongoing legal battle between members and the owners over the near tripling of annual membership fees four years ago.
Members are surprised that a club professing to need funding from the fee hike is now embarking on a significant redevelopment of the course that was renovated in 2020/21 not far short of its once exalted standing as the best championship layout in South-East Asia.
Its adjacent parkland-style Lakes course is a favourite of local golfers with usually immaculate conditioning and slick greens.
Renovation of the Canyon Course will be completed in November, with a return to play in the December-March high season, opening the possibility of a LIV event in late April/early May 2024 before or after the LIV Sentosa tournament which is locked in through 2028.
This would mean a three-tournament Asia Pacific swing for LIV – Adelaide, Singapore, Phuket – making travel from the US much more appealing.
Australian Golf Digest reached out to Norman for comment but the Shark was giving nothing away during this week’s Washington DC LIV event.
“Everyone wants one (a LIV event),” he said.
