In another bombshell for European golf, DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley is set to leave his post and return to Canada after being hired by one of the country's biggest sports and entertainment groups, according to a report by TSN.
Hot on the heels of the news that R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers will leave his role at the end of the year, Pelley also leaving the DP World Tour would make it a monumental week in golf with the two figureheads of the European game departing.
Canadian media outlet TSN says Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), which controls four of the country's top sports teams, has hired Pelley as their new president and chief executive, "concluding an executive search that has lasted nearly a year."
MLSE run NBA side the Toronto Raptors, NHL ice hockey team the Toronto Maple Leafs, MLS outfit Toronto FC and also the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.
Official confirmation of the move could come today - which just so happens to be Pelley's 60th birthday.
The TSN report describes the job as “one of the most coveted positions in North American sports, overseeing a collection of prized sports and real estate assets that are worth billions of dollars.”
You can see how a return home to such a big job would appeal to Pelley, who joined the DP World Tour in 2015 from Rogers Media in Canada and has a wealth of experience in the sports media market in his native country.
Also a former CEO of the Argonauts, Pelley and was initially praised for the energetic and positive approach he brought to his role and the impact he had on European golf.
Pelley looked to make innovative changes to European golf, trying out ideas such as GolfSixes, the Shot Clock Masters and introducing the Scandinavian Mixed event involving male and female golfers.
Not everyone was happy with the strategic alliance Keith Pelley and Jay Monahan signed
(Image credit: Getty Images)
He oversaw the renaming of the European Tour after doing a deal with DP World and was praised for navigating through the Covid-19 pandemic, but Pelley's tenure has been dominated with the LIV Golf emergence with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund's move into the sport.
Pelley was also criticised for the 'strategic alliance' he formed with the PGA Tour, which some described as making European golf into a feeder tour, so he may welcome a return to calmer waters back in Canada.
Having to go through legal battles with European golf legends in the fallout to LIV Golf moves and then trying to keep the DP World Tour on an even keel as the PGA Tour and Saudi PIF try to negotiate a proper deal have all been tough issues for Pelley to deal with.
The timing of his expected departure will raise eyebrows as it could not come at a more critical time for golf as negotiations to flesh out the ‘framework agreement’ continue.
The DP World Tour, PGA Tour and LIV Golf will all be part of the new commercial entity created if talks are successful, but whether Pelley stays on to see them through or leaves immediately remains to be seen.
