Atul Khosla, LIV Golf’s Chief Operating Officer, has stepped down from his post, according to The New York Times, leaving the Saudi-backed circuit without one of its most experienced sports executives.
Despite the ever-looming presence of Greg Norman as the league’s face and voice, Khosla was believed to be the man to lead the breakaway organization toward legitimacy in the sports world.
Before he served as LIV’s COO, Khosla was the chief corporate development and brand officer for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“I look forward to being a part of the LIV Golf Investments team to help bring this vision to life and transform the game into an international sport,” Khosla said in a release after his hiring.
Norman had this to say about Khosla last December: “The strategic experience Atul brings from his recent leadership positions at a major sports franchise will enable us to execute on our vision of holistically improving and elevating the game of golf around the world. His appointment is yet another example of our dedication to bringing best-in-class talent to help us deliver our mission of growing the game of golf.”
According to the Times, players and agents were alerted of the change days ago.
Golfweek reached out to LIV Golf representatives for comment but has yet to get a response.