LIV Golf have signalled their intention by recruiting five new members to the executive team in an ambitious shake-up. It comes in the wake of Tiger Woods’ comments indicating ongoing discussions with the PGA Tour.
The reshuffle at LIV includes the appointment of David Phillipps as Chief Financial Officer, Ross Hallett named Head of Events, Katie O’Reilly made Head of Team Business Operations, Pam Sacree taking over as Head of Human Resources, and Tim Taylor serving as the leader of the Saudi-backed league’s UK headquarters in London.
In the middle of this restructuring, golf icon Woods disclosed that talks with the PGA Tour were “heading in the right direction”, hinting at the possibility of a resolution shaping the sport’s future. However, the fresh appointments imply that the breakaway league is set on bolstering its position regardless of the outcome.
With a historical agreement signed last June between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF), the existence of the breakaway league had been under question. But PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan reaffirmed that this agreement wouldn’t result in a ‘merger’ with the LIV set-up.
He said last summer: “Let me be clear that despite numerous reports, this arrangement is not a merger between the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the PIF. The PIF will be a minority investor.”
Doubts had been raised when LIV CEO Greg Norman was absent from the initial negotiations that led to the announcement of their framework agreement on June 6.
The addition of five new executives on Wednesday signalled that LIV have no intention of disappearing anytime soon. This sentiment was echoed by former world No. 1 Norman, who confidently stated last October that he had ‘zero’ concerns about the long-term future of LIV Golf.
“I knew exactly the investment into LIV and the long-term ability of the franchises, and the valuation of each one of these franchises,” he remarked. “The money was always going to be invested in that and it will continue to be invested in that. I knew LIV was always going to exist.”
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf remain in talks ten months on from the June announcement. And in March, representatives from the PGA Tour – including Woods – met with members of the PIF, marking a positive step for the future of professional golf.
At the Masters last week, Woods reported that the meeting between both parties last month was productive. He said: “I don’t know if we’re closer but certainly we’re headed in the right direction. That was a very positive meeting, and I think both sides came away from the meeting feeling positive.”
