One day after R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers announced he would step down by the end of the year, the European shakeup continued with the DP World Tour announcing that its chief executive, Keith Pelley, is leaving to work for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
Pelley, who took over the European tour in August 2015, will be replaced by Guy Kinnings, the current deputy CEO and executive director of Ryder Cup Europe, on April 2.
“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,” Pelley said in a statement. “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.”
Pelley oversaw an eventful time in the history of the DP World Tour including the circuit’s strategic alliance with the PGA Tour that was strengthened in June 2022. The alliance included three co-sanctioned events between the tours – the Genesis Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship – and created a pathway to the PGA Tour for the Continent’s top players.
The Canadian is also a central figure in the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create a for-profit entity that would include the Tour, the European circuit and LIV Golf, which is owned by the PIF. The Tour and PIF extended a Dec. 31 deadline to reach a deal and according to a source familiar with the negotiations, the sides continue to work toward a definitive agreement.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is the parent company of four Toronto-based sports franchises— the NHL’s Maple Leafs, NBA’s Raptors, MLS’s Toronto FC and CFL’s Argonauts.
“This role with MLSE, and the chance to be involved with my hometown sports teams in Toronto, was the one opportunity that I simply could not resist,” Pelley said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do at some point in my career and I’m very grateful to be given that chance.”
Kinnings joined the European tour in 2018 after a long career as a player manager with IMG’s Golf Division. He’s also the tour’s chief commercial officer and oversaw last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.
“It will be a huge honor to take on this role in April and I am immensely proud to have been given this responsibility,” Kinnings said. “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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