Keith Pelley, DP World Tour chief executive, is leaving the tour after eight-and-a-half years for another role in Canada. The 60-year-old’s move comes as the DP Tour is still in talks with the PGA Tour to form an alliance with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the money behind the growing LIV Golf.
Pelley will take on the role of president and chief executive of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors and the MLS side Toronto FC. Guy Kinnings, the deputy chief executive and Ryder Cup executive director, will succeed Pelley from 2 April.
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. This role with MLSE, and the chance to be involved with my home town sports teams in Toronto, was the one opportunity that I simply could not resist.”
