More pieces have fallen into place for LIV Golf Investments, a new golf entity backed by the Public Investment Fund, which operates on behalf of the government of Saudi Arabia. After making big headlines last week with the announcement that Greg Norman would be the commissioner and CEO of the new league, two other names have emerged as key members of the leadership team.
Sean Bratches has been appointed as Chief Commercial Officer and Ron Cross as Chief Events Officer, the entity announced on Friday. Both men bring significant experience from within golf and the greater sports world – most notably Cross, who spent the past 30 years in various leadership roles at the PGA Tour and Augusta National Golf Club.
In his role with the Tour, Cross ran such high-level events as the Presidents Cup, Tour Championship and World Golf Championships. At Augusta National, during the Billy Payne era, he was involved with grow-the-game efforts such as the Asia-Pacific Amateur, which is being played this week.
“I am honored for the opportunity to work alongside Greg, Sean and the entire LIV Golf Investments team as we work to improve the game of golf on a global level,” Cross said in a media release. “To be a small part of a significant change in the way golf is played and enjoyed while continuing to make a positive impact on the communities we play in is another dream come true for me.”
Bratches’ experience comes from a nearly 30-year career with ESPN, which included his role as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing and a position on the ESPN Board of Directors, as well as Formula 1.
Cross and Bratches will transition into their roles with LIV Golf Investments immediately, per the release.
“I am energized and excited to join LIV Golf Investments and work to foster sustained growth in the game of golf globally,” said Bratches. “I am encouraged by the comprehensive vision that we have for the sport and the platform that we will create to benefit professional golfers, the sport’s commercial partners, and in particular, the passionate fans of golf worldwide.”
Aside from the involvement of Cross, Bratches and Norman, few other concrete details are known about the new institution, including who will play or where events will be conducted. Previous announcements have indicated plans to begin play as early as 2022.
In announcing Cross’ and Bratches’ involvement, LIV Golf Investments also noted that additional leadership announcements would follow.
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