Keith Pelley organised a meeting this Tuesday at the Emirates Golf Club with twelve journalists. From Spain, only Ten Golf. Officially, he leaves his position as CEO of the DP World Tour on April 2nd, but he wanted to chat openly with the media beforehand. It was a reserved and exclusive appointment. Time: 11.00 AM. Place: box of hole 18 of Rolex. The conversation was with light, stenographers and the recorders on. He was asked about everything and he did not refuse any answer.
Pelley admits and understands the criticism for his trajectory in the European Circuit. He knows he has made mistakes and that a position like his is constantly under external scrutiny. However, he is convinced that the balance is positive, he is proud of what he has done in eight and a half years and he has a fairly clear vision of what golf should be in the future. He is convinced that everything goes through a global agreement to create a great world calendar, where all circuits participate. It is the last thing he has said to the PGA Tour before announcing his departure. He also believes that before April 2 we will know where professional golf is going.
About the agreement with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf… “Our goal is to unify golf. I believe the dialogue has not always been positive and that the game is growing at a very fast pace after COVID. Professional golf needs to unify to capitalise on the growth of amateur golf. This was the underlying concept of the framework agreement. I believe that some of the best players in the United States are beginning to realise that this was exactly the purpose of the framework agreement: to unify the game. Unfortunately, some of the main players in the United States did not support the framework agreement and we needed it. Now they are realising that it is best to unify the game. We are a world Tour. Jimmy Dunne (PGA Tour) came to Dubai last week for the first time and was impressed. When Jay Monahan came to the Dubai Final he was amazed. I will continue to insist on the fact that this is a global sport and we need a global calendar that is unified. That’s what I believe in, the unification of all circuits working together. If believing that is the right direction and if there is finally no agreement, I will be very disappointed. What I would like is for the game to unify with a global strategy and I believe that the PGA TOUR is realising that globality is the key to growth. They have heard me say it once or twice. The fan, the sponsors, everyone wants a global approach. Now, how we carry it out is yet to be determined”.
Will the agreement be ready by April? “Yes, I believe that by then we will already have a path to follow. I believe so. I believe there is a will to reach an agreement quickly. The conversations have intensified since the Ryder Cup. We expected it. There is a will on all sides. When you sit down with someone like SSG (US investment group negotiating its incorporation into the PGA Tour), and with PIF (Saudi Fund) it means there is a will”.
The departure of Jon Rahm to LIV Golf… “I believe in the theory that we should unify. How, we will soon know. Jon is a great champion and I respect the decision he has made for his family”.
How does the DP World Tour fit into this new global scenario… “I believe we are in a good position, but it all depends on what the landscape is like. I don’t know right now how many tournaments would be good for a European Circuit tournament”.
The relationship with the PGA Tour, the strategic alliance and the ten cards… “Any public figure or CEO will always face some criticism, much more now with so many media and a lot of people who think they are journalists and are not. Criticism has never personally affected me. But the strategic alliance with the PGA Tour has changed our business for the better. There is no doubt. Everyone within the Tour, on the board, on my team, understands it. In the midst of great global uncertainty from an economic perspective, having the prizes guaranteed, the highest of all time, and the ten cards I think is very good. We were not willing to make the deal with the PGA Tour unless those ten cards were on the table. Last night I was talking to Matthieu Pavon, who finished seventh in his first tournament on the PGA Tour and won a quarter of a million dollars. He told me: “Thank you, boss”. It’s a wonderful opportunity for him. He will come back, and when he comes back and plays in the French Open this year, he will be a bigger name. He will be a bigger attraction. People have to understand the reasons behind it. I don’t expect them to because it’s impossible, as they are not in the business. It’s fascinating because depending on the moment of the career each person is in, they see it one way or another. I have 486 members, I believe, and it’s impossible to make them all happy. That’s the way it is”.
The return of Wiesberger from LIV Golf to the DP World Tour means that the door is open… “We have had a different philosophy to the PGA TOUR. We have different rules and standards. I spoke with Bernd and Bernd wanted to come back and play. I believe he still had the opportunity to play in LIV, but he wanted to come back and play. He paid all his fines, served his suspensions, and we welcome him”.
The best golfers playing together more often… “There is no doubt that one of the biggest challenges facing golf is that the best players play more with the best players, and in that sense we are moving forward. If we look at last week, the success of the Dubai Invitational was the magical performance of Rory and Tommy on Sunday. Tournaments are different when Rory plays. Tournaments are different when Tommy and Tyrrell are here and the best players play. That concept of having all the best players, and knowing when they play, is a great model for success. I’ve said it for a long time”.
The future of the DP World Tour with Guy Kinnings at the helm… “The transition with Guy has been seamless. When I brought Guy in to replace Richard Hills, who was retiring, I didn’t even put him in charge of the Ryder Cup, but in charge of the commercial area. He was the Deputy General Manager. So it’s a smooth transition”.
His greatest satisfaction and the things he regrets… “I make mistakes, of course, but I’m not one to regret in hindsight. Everything I’ve done has been thinking in the best interest of all members. Some have respected the decisions and others have challenged them. You have to believe that the decisions you are making is what the majority of the members need. I’m very excited about where we are now. What satisfies me the most and makes me proud is the Ryder Cup in Italy. There was a lot of criticism about it when it was decided. There was even division in the team. Now, everyone will agree that Rome has been the best Ryder Cup in history. We started in France, introducing big screens and entertainment. We had 17 big screens in France and 22 in Italy. Everything we did allowed us to generate much more income than we ever imagined. I’m very, very proud of that. Another issue was the audiovisual rights. Our agreement with IMG meant that they owned 50% of our audiovisual rights and European Tour Productions. It took us 18 months to negotiate the end of that agreement. When we closed it in 2018 and got 100% of European Tour Productions, it changed our financial model very quickly. Without that deal, we would never have been able to reach an agreement with the PGA TOUR. They bought 15 percent of the rights in 2020. This meant that we were sustainable in perpetuity. It was a great achievement.
In 2022 the agreement with the PGA Tour assured us sustainability. It not only guaranteed that the prize money would increase over the next five years, but it took it up to 2035. The Tour is in good shape. That is very, very gratifying. I believe our tournaments are better from an organisational point of view, from the players’ room to the way we treat them. In 2015 there wasn’t even a player relations department. I’m also proud of the Rolex Series and our relationship with DP World”.
