DP World Tour CEO resigns, joins R&A CEO raising eyebrows in the golf world
Keith Pelley, the CEO of the DP World Tour, announced he is leaving, becoming the second golf executive to leave their post in as many days.
Keith Pelley, the CEO of the DP World Tour, announced his resignation.
Having held this position since 2015, the Canadian guided the DP World Tour through a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour. He also sold the naming rights of the circuit formerly known as the European Tour and has been part of the discussions between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Under his tenure, the DP World Tour essentially became a feeder tour to the PGA Tour, with this coming to fruition in 2024 more so than ever before. The top 10 finishers in the final Race to Dubai standings in 2023—not otherwise exempt—earned PGA Tour cards for the 2024 season.
Ryder Cup snub Adrian Meronk, Ryan Fox of New Zealand, and Scotsman Robert MacIntyre are three of 10 players who will play on the PGA Tour this season, thus depriving the DP World Tour of some of its talent.
Nevertheless, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, the parent company that owns the Toronto Maple Leafs and Toronto Raptors, among other teams, hired Pelley to serve as its new CEO. Pelley will thus leave for his native Canada at the beginning of April.
This move came hours after Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A, announced that the 2024 golf season would be his last in this capacity.
Slumbers will oversee this year’s R&A championships, which includes the 152nd Open at Royal Troon in July, before stepping down.
Regardless, Pelley and Slumbers resigned amid the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s ongoing negotiations with the Saudi PIF.
These three entities are working to strike a deal to re-unite professional golf, which could include creating a new world order for the world’s best players. How that looks remains to be seen, but Rory McIlroy unveiled his ‘dream scenario’ on what golf could look like in the near future.
On top of that, Slumbers has been a massive proponent of the golf ball rollback, which will limit distance for amateurs and pros alike. Rollback has been met with plenty of controversy, but Slumbers and USGA CEO Mike Whan insist that it is a necessary move.
And yet, Slumbers, like Pelley, has spent plenty of time with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF. Slumbers and al-Rumayyan played a round together at last year’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews, and surely discussions about the future of golf were had.
Considering both Slumbers and Pelley announced their intent to leave their posts on the same day, many eyebrows were raised in the golf world. Perhaps something is happening behind the scenes regarding the Saudi PIF, or maybe this is just a mere coincidence.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.