Keith Pelley’s Replacement, Guy Kinnings: All About the New DP World Tour CEO

The European Tour is currently going through a tumultuous time. Their long-time CEO Keith Pelley decided to part ways with them, leading to an uproar among fans. However, these tough times are expected to end soon as his replacement is already here. Guy Kinnings is going to start soon as the new CEO of the European Tour.

But golf fans might be wondering who the replacement of Keith Pelley is. He is a well-reputed name in the golf community and is looking forward to starting this new position. But before that, let’s look at the complete timeline of events.

Who is Guy Kinnings?

Recently, Keith Pelley stepped down from his role at DP World Tour to join Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). He sent out a letter to European Tour members, bidding his farewell. However, he also announced his replacement. After him, Guy Kinnings will take over the role on April 2, 2024.

For the uninitiated, Guy Kinnings is Deputy CEO, Ryder Cup Director & Chief Commercial Officer at European Tour Group & Ryder Cup Europe. Furthermore, he was formerly Head of Golf at IMG. With him joining in a new role as CEO, he will be planning to carry his responsibilities further.

The new DP World Tour CEO is taking over this position after having 35+ years of experience in the management of golf companies. Kinnings completed his education at the University of Oxford in law. Since then, he has been working closely in the game he loves, golf.

His predecessor also had nothing but praise for him. Keith Pelley said, “As you will see in the release, we have strong succession planning in place, and I am delighted to be able to hang over to Guy Kinnings, who as you know is a hugely experienced and respected figure in our sport.” 

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Furthermore, the two of them will be working closely during the ending months of Pelley’s tenure. By doing so, Pelley hopes to get his predecessor up to speed about the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and PIF.

What makes the new CEO of the DP World Tour a positive impact 

Guy Kinnings had innovative ideas to further the DP World Tour even before he assumed the position of CEO. Back in 2022, he stated in an interview that the game has a lot of potential as there are people interested from private equity firms in the game. To keep their interest in the game, he proposed the idea of new start-up tours and new formats in the existing events.

He said, “We have to make sure the product is as good as it can be for the members and the viewers. I think golf is sufficiently flexible in terms of the number of holes, format, and whatever else. We have to make it appealing to all of our constituencies. But I do think it’s possible.”

He also had an interesting approach to raising the standard of women’s games. He worked with friends at the Ladies DP World Tour and LPGA Tour to create a series of mixed-gender events. As a result, the Volvo Scandinavian Mixed and the ISPS Handa World Invitational in 2022 showcased that women’s golf is just as entertaining as men’s golf.

Furthermore, Guy Kinnings is also an astute supporter of becoming carbon-neutral at events and building a personal brand of players. He is planning to halve the DP World Tour’s emissions by 50% by 2030 and be fully net zero carbon by 2040. He is looking forward to working with his team to figure out the correct way to carry forward these goals.

Challenges ahead of the new CEO of the DP World Tour

While Guy Kinnings will be optimistic about his new role, it also comes along with a set of challenges. The biggest one will surely be about the ongoing merger talks between the PGA Tour and PIF. There are rumors on the internet that the surprise retirement of R&A CEO Martin Slumbers was caused by PIF.

Now with the DP World Tour CEO departing soon, there will be a lot of pressure on the PGA Tour side to avoid drawing the short stick. And the new CEO of DP World Tour can play a crucial role in that. What are your thoughts on the changes in the upper management of golf bodies? Let us know in the comments section below.

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