LIV Golf, the controversial breakaway golfing tour, has announced a raft of new additions to its senior leadership team.
The series has hired new team general managers who will head up operational and strategic operations at five of the team-based golf league’s thirteen franchises.
Responsibilities will include growing each franchise’s brand, commercial viability, securing partnerships, and performance development.
Swede Jonas Mårtensson, the former chief executive of video game company Mojang, will lead the Cleeks GC team.
Cleeks is led by Swedish golfer Martin Kaymer, and Mårtensson said he hoped to build Cleeks into a “globally recognizable brand.”
At the Iron Heads GC franchise, former baseball executive Martin Kim steps in as general manager.
Kim previously served as director of international business development for Major League Baseball, focusing on Asia, having before that served in a similar role for its Los Angeles Dodgers franchise, and stated his aim to bring his expertise in the Asian market together with Iron Heads.
The Legion XIII team’s general manager will be Jeff Koski, who previously served as senior vice president of golf at the global sports and marketing agency Sportfive.
Koski has already helped broker two commercial partnerships for Legion XIII with Santander Bank and Maestro Dobel Tequila.
Ripper GC, the Australia-based LIV Golf team, adds Australian executive Nick Adams, formerly of the ESPN sports network and the Endeavor/IMG sports agency heavyweight.
Adams said his focus is around the annual LIV Golf Adelaide event in Australia.
Finally, the South African team, Stinger GC, will be headed up by South African Richard Glover, currently vice president of tennis’ major ATP Tour.
LIV Golf has two remaining events on its 2024 calendar - in Chicago from September 13-15, and the season-ending Dallas Team Championship across September 20-22.