Six months into his tenure as LIV Golf’s CEO, Scott O’Neil has hired a former colleague with significant sports experience to a newly created position geared toward revenue generation.
Chris Heck, most recently the president of the Premier League’s Aston Villa football club, will become the president of business operations for the LIV Golf League, with his duties beginning June 16. He will report to O’Neil, who in January took over for golf Hall of Famer Greg Norman.
Prior to his two-year stint with Aston Villa in England, Heck had extensive experience in American professional sports, including time as the president and chief revenue officer for the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and MLS’s New York Red Bulls.
In a LIV Golf news release, the league pointed to Heck’s “vastly increasing property valuations, driving global brand awareness, and developing award-winning fan and partnership endeavors during his tenure at each global sports property.”
Heck has also had roles with the Philadelphia Flyers, the Miami Heat and Villanova University.
“Chris Heck brings a commercial mindset, the proven ability to attract, retain and develop talented executives, and a consistent and proven track record of driving exponential growth to the businesses he leads. These qualities and his approach will continue to move us closer to the extraordinary vision of His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan,” O’Neil said. “Chris’s passion to elevate brands, engage corporate partners, deliver authentic fan and brand engagement with global impact, and a drive towards innovation will ensure we continue on a strong growth trajectory for our league and teams.”
His main tasks on a global scale are geared toward generating revenue through ticket sales, sponsorships and corporate partnerships.
LIV Golf, which launched three years ago this week with its first tournament in England, is playing its eighth event of a 14-tournament schedule this week with the LIV Golf Virginia event which begins Friday at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
With the signings of several high-profile players such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Patrick Reed, Cam Smith and Jon Rahm, LIV has disrupted the otherwise staid world of professional golf with no resolution yet worked out between the entities which have been negotiating peace for two years.
Friday is the two-year anniversary of the infamous “framework agreement” that saw the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which backs LIV Golf, enter into a deal to end all litigation between the parties while working out a solution to their mutual benefit.
So far, those efforts have come up short, but LIV Golf has pushed on regardless. O’Neil came to LIV Golf with extensive experience in the sports world and has now brought on another person with similar credentials as the league has opened a new office in New York and continued to plan for the future.
“I am deeply honored to join LIV Golf during this important moment for the league, and to support a global leader in golf devoted to expanding the game’s reach to new communities across the world through the leadership of His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan,” Heck said. "LIV Golf represents a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to redefine the global golf landscape with dynamic athletes, immersive events, and a commitment to growth, accessibility, and innovation."
With the deep pockets of the PIF—a sovereign wealth fund valued at more than $900 billion—LIV Golf has been able to pay huge signing bonuses and offer weekly $25 million purses as part of its individual and team concept that sees 54-hole events and shotgun starts.
What it has yet to do is prove to be commercially viable.
It has seen success in international markets such as Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, but LIV has struggled to gain traction in the United States. It signed a new television contract with Fox Sports this year for what is believed to be modest rights fee income. And while it has numerous minor sponsorships and partnerships among its 13 teams, it has yet to land the big title sponsorships that would help defray massive costs week to week.
Heck would likely be positioned to help in those areas when he begins in his role later this month.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as LIV Golf Names New President of Business Operations.
