On a helicopter ride across New Orleans two years ago, Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser sat beside an unusual passenger: retired professional Australian golfer Greg Norman, also known as “the Great White Shark.”
The rainy flight took them over the sprawling Oak-lined golf course at New Orleans City Park in a chopper owned by Shane Guidry, a donor and top adviser to Gov. Jeff Landry.
Norman, then CEO of LIV Golf, was looking for potential sites to host a new summer tournament in New Orleans. As Nungesser saw it, Norman was already sold as they peered down from the helicopter. He was willing to spend millions on the event, he told Nungesser. He just needed Nungesser to promote it…