On January 11, 2024, the news broke that Keith Pelley was leaving his post at the helm of the DP World Tour. Unexpected news given the turbulent times golf is experiencing, but the offer to return to his native Canada was irresistible for Keith. Pelley has been hired as president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports Entertainment, the parent company of four sports franchises based in Toronto: the Maple Leafs of the NHL, the Raptors of the NBA, the Toronto FC of the MLS and the Argonauts of the CFL.
The announcement last January indicated that the transfer of power to Guy Kinnings, current Deputy CEO and Executive Director of the European Tour, would become effective on April 2. That moment has arrived.
The man who has been CEO of the European Circuit since 2015 wanted to say goodbye to all the members and workers of the DP World Tour through a video accessed by the X account (former twitter), Flushing It, which we proceed to transcribe below:
“Hello everyone. Today is my last day as CEO. And I have to admit that it’s a bit emotional because I’ve had 8 and a half wonderful years. My family has also had a great time. It’s been a privilege to meet you, work with you, and understand what a member organisation is. I remember in 2015 thinking that we didn’t even have a player relations department and think how critical that department is now, how robust it is. Today we definitely have a mindset that players come first. And so it should be. We are a global golf tour, and that’s something we should be proud of, something we should cherish. I also see myself reflected in many of the magical things we created together. But I am very grateful for the support you all give to patients during the pandemic. It was a very difficult time, and to say that we came out of the pandemic in better shape than we went in is something we should all be very proud of.
During these 8 ½ years, as I said, we’ve done some wonderful things together. Two incredible Ryder Cups in 2018 and 2023 with historic public attendance, the creation of the Rolex Series, the partnership with DP World and the creation of the DP World Tour, the strategic alliance with the PGA Tour. And how all that created historic prize money for all our members. But perhaps what I’m most proud of is our commitment to innovation and to improving every week. And recently, over the last few years, Golf for disabled players, the creation of the G4D Tour has been groundbreaking in our industry.
Without a doubt, our industry is going through a transformative moment. And everyone knows I hoped we would have unified the game before I left. We know that’s not going to happen now, but I can tell you that we’ve made great strides over the last few months and we’re optimistic that we’ll reach an agreement and that the game will be in a better position. And I’ll be watching very, very closely. You have a new leader, an experienced leader, Guy Kinning. I’m sure he will take our game and our tour, to greater heights. So I leave you with a thank you. And a thank you for giving me the most incredible opportunity to be your general executive for the last eight and a half years. I’m very grateful for that. And although I can’t be here every week, I’ll definitely be following from afar, watching you from Canada and cheering as much as I can. Thank you.”
