Former Cricket Australia boss James Sutherland will be announced as Golf Australia’s new chief executive today.
Australian Golf Digest sources have confirmed the former cricket chief, himself a keen golfer, will take the reigns vacated by Stephen Pitt, ending an exhaustive search that’s dragged on throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
As reported by The Age’s Jon Pierik, Sutherland left Cricket Australia in October 2018 after 17 years and is widely regarded as one of the country’s top sports administrators. He is a member of the board of the Geelong Football Club and has also been kept busy as the chairman of the newly created Live Entertainment Industry Forum – a coalition of major stadiums, venues and promoters across sport, music and theatre.
His appointment comes at a crucial time for the sport, which is riding a wave of popularity amidst the coronavirus pandemic. With golf being classified as an essential form of exercise, participation levels have soared across the country and there’s work to be done to ensure golf can convert this newfound crowd into long-term participants.
An official announcement is expected shortly.
– More to come
