Keith Pelley's tenure as DP World Tour chief executive will come to an end on April 2; the Canadian is returning home to oversee the group that owns NHL side Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA's Toronto Raptors; DP World Tour deputy CEO Guy Kinnings will replace Pelley
Thursday 11 January 2024 14:14, UK
DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley is quitting his role after eight and a half years to take up a job in his native Canada.
Pelley will leave his position on April 2 to oversee one of North America's largest sports and entertainment groups, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.
The company has assets in four of the six major sports leagues on the continent, with primary holdings of NHL side Toronto Maple Leafs and the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
The DP World Tour have confirmed Guy Kinnings will take over from Pelley, stepping up from his position as deputy CEO and Ryder Cup executive director.
The Candian's departure comes at a critical time in golf. The DP World Tour is part of the June 6 agreement with the PGA Tour and the Saudi backers of LIV Golf to form a commercial company that could reshape how golf is run.
A December 31 deadline to finalise the deal passed, although all sides have continued negotiations.
"It has been an incredible honour to be the chief executive of this wonderful institution for the past eight and a half years," Pelley said.
"When I came over from Canada back in 2015, I set out to create a culture of innovation and to grow our prize funds and our Tour for our members by ensuring that we appealed to new, younger and more diverse audiences.
"We have done that and so much more because our players, staff, partners, broadcasters and fans have all fundamentally bought into that philosophy that we are in the entertainment industry. I would therefore like to thank everyone for their support and commitment to innovation and evolution in our sport."
Pelley negotiated a $5bn rights contract to the NHL for Rogers Media before leaving in 2015 to take over what was at the time known as the European Tour. He brought creativity, beyond his blue-framed glasses to a tour that didn't have nearly the resources of the PGA Tour.
He struck a deal with Dubai-based DP World in 2021 to rename the circuit. He introduced one tournament using a shot clock, another involving six-hole competitions. Neither stuck, but there was a willingness to try to modernise golf.
Pelley also chose to align the European Tour with the PGA Tour in a strategic alliance that now includes co-sanctioned events for both members, the Scottish Open in the UK and two tournaments on the PGA Tour held opposite stronger events.
Ten leading players from the European Tour's Race to Dubai earned PGA Tour cards this year through part of that alliance.
News of Pelley's departure also emerged just a day after R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers announced he would step down from his role by the end of the year.
Kinnings said: "It has been a privilege to work closely with Keith since I joined the Tour in 2018. He set out to transform the European Tour group, and unquestionably he has done that.
"It will be a huge honour to take on this role in April and I am immensely proud to have been given this responsibility. I will continue to work closely with Keith, Eric and the Board over the next three months to ensure a seamless transition.
"I look forward to working with our players, staff and partners in the game, as well as our very impressive Executive Leadership and Senior Management Teams, to continue to build upon everything our Tour has achieved in recent years."
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