The first year of LIV Golf certainly had a lot of highs and lows but the Saudi-backed golf league appears to have gotten over the initial hump as it prepares for Year 2, though there have been reports of financial concerns ahead. However, it will have to move forward without one of its key executives.
The New York Times reported Friday that president and chief operating officer Atul Khosla has resigned from LIV Golf.
“At the conclusion of LIV’s successful inaugural season, Atul Khosla decided to move on,” Greg Norman, LIV’s commissioner, said in a statement on Friday, days after players and agents were privately told that Khosla would step down. “We respect A.K. and his personal decision.”
It’s worth noting that Khosla is not the first LIV executive to leave in recent weeks while calls for CEO Greg Norman to step aside have gotten louder. Some expected that if Norman were to leave, Khosla might be the one to step into that role, though that clearly isn’t going to happen now.
One of the biggest issues facing LIV is their inability so far to secure a television deal or major sponsorship arrangements, the kinds of things the PGA Tour excels at.
As part of his statement, Norman said that some of LIV’s “most trusted partners” were “supporting our structural transition and introduction of exciting new developments.” We’ll see what that means soon enough.
[NY Times]
