"I am sincerely thankful for the opportunity to
have been a part of launching LIV Golf," Cross said in a
statement he provided Wednesday to Sports Illustrated, which was
the first of multiple media outlets to report Cross' exit.
"While surprised in the change in direction at this time, I
remain incredibly proud of the job being done by my Event
Delivery Colleagues, LIV Golf team members, the players,
caddies, venue and vendor partners to make LIV Golf a tremendous
experience and wish them all the best for continued success."
Cross helped the league play an eight-event schedule starting in
June 2022, as well as the construction of a 14-event slate in
2023. The tour is in West Virginia this week for its 10th event
of the season at The Old White at Greenbrier.
"Ron Cross played an important role in the launch of LIV Golf
and the establishment of our tournaments," a LIV Golf spokesman
said in a statement. "We are grateful for his contributions. The
success of LIV events has always been rooted in our ability to
evolve and do things differently and we remain committed to
those fundamental ideas going forward."
The future of the LIV Golf tour in its present format is
uncertain. Two months ago, the rival PGA Tour made an agreement
with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund - which finances LIV
- to form a new for-profit entity also involving the DP World
Tour
Cross is the latest LIV executive to exit, including Majed Al
Sorour, who was managing director and Golf Saudi CEO; chief
operating officer Atul Khosla; and Matt Goodman, president of
LIV franchises.
Cross had previously worked as an executive with the PGA Tour
and Augusta National.
--Field Level Media
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