"Surprised" senior official AXED by LIV Golf as high-profile exits continue
LIV Golf calls for more change as senior official Ron Cross is removed from his position.
LIV Golf has axed senior official Ron Cross from its chief events officer position, marking the fourth high-profile name to be removed since the circuit's inauguration last summer.
Cross, who was one of LIV Golf's first hires in 2021, was responsible for securing venues and helping run tournaments on the Saudi-bankrolled league.
Before representing LIV Golf, Cross served as an executive for the PGA Tour and Augusta National, home of The Masters.
Cross admitted he was "surprised" by LIV's call when speaking to Sports Illustrated:
Cross' removal marks the fourth high-profile exit among LIV Golf leadership in 2023.
Majed Al Sorour stepped down as LIV Golf managing director at the start of the year, but remains on the board of directors.
Atul Khosla then left his role as chief operating officer of LIV a month later, shortly before Matt Goodman walked out the door as president of LIV franchises.
The decision to remove Cross from his high-profile position comes in the same week Tiger Woods became the sixth player to join the PGA Tour's Policy Board.
With now half of the 12-seat board backed by players, it means the players have full control and a final say on all future matters on the PGA Tour.
It's also a potentially huge moment given June's shock announcement the PGA Tour are set to merge with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) led by its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
Woods, 47, will now likely have a huge say on the future of LIV Golf, especially if the PGA Tour's merger goes ahead with Saudi PIF, which currently bankrolls Greg Norman's golf league.
LIV Golf tees up its 10th event of the season at Greenbrier this week, while the PGA Tour hosts its final regular season event at the Wyndham Championship before the FedEx Cup Playoffs next week.
