Livingston has worked across professional golf, basketball, and college athletics over the past 25 years
NEW YORK – World Long Drive (WLD) today announced that former IMG Golf executive W. David Livingston has been named chief commercial officer of the preeminent competitive tour for golf’s longest hitters.
An experienced marketer with a career forged building brand programs and platforms connected to sports and entertainment, Livingston created athlete endorsements and title sponsorships for 15 years at IMG Golf, ultimately leading sales and business development for the division.
“We are thrilled to welcome W. David Livingston to World Long Drive and look forward to what he can bring to our sport,” GF Sports & Entertainment President Shawn Tilger said. “His passion for long drive, combined with his first-hand experiences and expertise as a leader in the golf space, allow him to hit the ground running. We’re excited to see how he helps us continue to grow the sport of long drive.”
Livingston, an Atlanta resident, recently served as vice president of global partnerships for Oak View Group (OVG), guided business operations as president of the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), and directed business development for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He began his career in brand management at Procter and Gamble. Livingston earned his B.A. and his M.B.A from Cornell University.
“My career has centered on commercial partnerships and business development and I am excited to join a tour that has brand recognition around the world,” Livingston said. “I’m happy to remain connected to golf, a sport I’ve worked closely with and cared about for a long time, while learning the intricacies of ‘golf at full throttle.’ It’s an honor to be part of the team that will help this sport continue to evolve and progress.”
The World Long Drive season teed off in March in Huntington Beach, California, as Kelly Rudney and Justin James captured the Women’s Division and Open Division titles, respectively. World Long Drive’s next event is May 17-19 in Memphis. The 2024 season will finish with the World Championship, held at Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta, in August.
About World Long Drive:
The World Long Drive Championship is the largest annual domestic professional golf event not associated with the PGA of America, the PGA Tour, or the LPGA. It was first held in 1974, and since 2000 consisted of Open, Women’s, Seniors (over-45s), and Amateur events. The World Long Drive tour is comprised of nine events domestically and over 30 events internationally all culminating for the season finale World Long Drive Championship. World Long Drive tour and championship is owned and operated by GF Sports and Entertainment based out of New York, NY.
World Long Drive has partnered with PIVOT Agency out of the San Francisco Bay area to reintroduce the brand and sport into the corporate market leveraging partner relationships.
PIVOT Agency is a full-service sports marketing agency, built at the nexus of brands and culture, and forming alliances between consumer brands, athletes, sports, the arts, causes, business and media. Today it has grown into four (4) unique and successful divisions, encompassing Property Representation, Brand Consulting, Travel and Hospitality. PIVOT’s property division consults with top organizations in the sports and entertainment world including GF Sports & Entertainment, Pro Pickleball Association, Athletes Unlimited, Cedar Fair, OpTic Gaming, NRG, Spacestation Gaming, Illinois State University and a growing portfolio of professional and collegiate properties.
About GF Sports and Entertainment:
GF Sports & Entertainment is a global events and operations company that elevates the experience of live sports, entertainment and interactive events. The company owns two of the ATP Tour’s longest running American tennis tournaments, the Dallas Open and the Atlanta Open, as well as the National Lacrosse League New York Riptide. GF Sports & Entertainment also incubates new and emerging sport concepts, this includes Wolf Pack Ninjas, which operates ninja-focused events globally and just completed the purchase of World Long Drive, an international long drive tour.
GF Sports & Entertainment was founded in July 2015 by New York-based private equity firm GF Capital. For additional information, please visit gfsportsandentertainment.com.
Contact:
Jonathan Deutsch | Tony Fay PR | 469.534.8525 | jonathan@tonyfaypr.com
Reeves Eddins | Tony Fay PR | 901.647.9697 | reeves@tonyfaypr.com
