One day after R&A chief government Martin Slumbers announced he would step down by the end of the year, the European shakeup continued with the DP World Tour saying that its chief government, Keith Pelley, is leaving to work for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

Pelley, who took over the European tour in August 2015, can be changed by Guy Kinnings, the present deputy CEO and government director of Ryder Cup Europe, on April 2.

“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,” Pelley stated in a press release. “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.”

Pelley oversaw an eventful time within the historical past of the DP World Tour together with the circuit’s strategic alliance with the PGA Tour that was strengthened in June 2022. The alliance included three co-sanctioned occasions between the excursions – the Genesis Scottish Open, Barbasol Championship and Barracuda Championship – and created a pathway to the PGA Tour for the Continent’s prime gamers.

The Canadian can be a central determine within the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create a for-profit entity that would come with the Tour, the European circuit and LIV Golf, which is owned by the PIF. The Tour and PIF prolonged a Dec. 31 deadline to achieve a deal and in line with a supply aware of the negotiations, the edges proceed to work towards a definitive settlement.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is the mother or father firm of 4 Toronto-based sports activities franchises— the NHL’s Maple Leafs, NBA’s Raptors, MLS’s Toronto FC and CFL’s Argonauts.

“This role with MLSE, and the chance to be involved with my hometown sports teams in Toronto, was the one opportunity that I simply could not resist,” Pelley stated. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do at some point in my career and I’m very grateful to be given that chance.”

Kinnings joined the European tour in 2018 after an extended profession as a participant supervisor with IMG’s Golf Division. He’s additionally the tour’s chief business officer and oversaw final yr’s Ryder Cup in Rome.

“It will be a huge honor to take on this role in April and I am immensely proud to have been given this responsibility,” Kinnings stated. “I look forward to working with our players, staff and partners in the game, as well as our very impressive executive leadership and senior management teams, to continue to build upon everything our tour has achieved in recent years.”