LIV Golf Appoints New Chief Operating Officer

LIV Golf has appointed former Madison Square Garden companies senior executive Lawrence J Burian as its new Chief Operating Officer.

In his new role, Burian will take on a wide range of responsibilities including corporate development and strategy, the successful delivery of LIV Golf’s 14 tournaments per season and the management and commercialisation of its teams.

He will also be involved in the integration of the Asian Tour’s International Series, which currently offers a place on LIV Golf for the player finishing top of its Order of Merit, as well as a range of other tasks.

Burian takes on the role with plenty of experience in the world of sport, as well as entertainment, media and hospitality sectors, thanks to his previous position as an Executive Vice President with the Madison Square Garden family of public companies, which included the NBA's New York Knicks and NHL's New York Rangers franchises and two MSG regional sports networks.

LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman explained why Burian is the perfect fit for the role. He said: “Lawrence is a proven leader and a proven winner, and we couldn’t be more excited to have him on our executive leadership team. 

"After more than two years of breaking molds and pushing boundaries, LIV Golf is on the precipice of significant growth. Lawrence’s decades of business experience are exactly what we need to keep us competitive and moving forward.”

Burian, who has also worked at Cablevision Systems Corporation, explained what he will bring to the role. He said: “I am excited to join LIV Golf as Chief Operating Officer and look forward to harnessing my more than two decades of senior executive experience to help build on the progress and momentum that is well underway.”

The 2023 LIV Golf season has just concluded with its Team Championship at Trump National Doral in Florida. However, following the merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Public Investment Fund that finances LIV Golf, it is uncertain what the future holds for the circuit.

Nevertheless, ahead of the season closer, CEO Greg Norman said: “LIV has never been stronger” and Burian explained he’s also convinced it has a bright future. He continued: “The creation of a new global sports league in less than two years was nothing short of extraordinary and now is the time to capitalize and build on that success.

"LIV Golf has a very bright future as we seek to continue growing the game of golf, engaging new audiences, enhancing the guest experience, innovating our event and media production and building franchise value, all while creating a compelling home for our world-class athletes. I’m committed to working with my talented colleagues at LIV Golf towards achieving our ambitious goals.”

Acting Chief Operating Officer Gary Davidson also welcomed the appointment, saying: “Adding Lawrence to the LIV executive team is the clearest indication of the next phase of this league’s growth and future aspirations.

“Lawrence is an excellent addition to the Senior Management team and brings a wealth of experience which will be invaluable as we enter the exciting next phase of the business. We are thrilled to have him on the team and I’m excited to continue supporting him and LIV Golf into 2024.”

Burian takes over from Davidson, who had been in the role on a temporary basis following the resignation of Atul Khosla at the end of 2022.