I’m really excited about the 2024 schedule, DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley says

Dubai: Keith Pelley, CEO of the DP World Tour, feels the Tour has provided a direct pathway to the PGA Tour as he highlighted the vision and plans for the future.

Addressing a media conference at last week’s $8 million BMW PGA Championship, a Rolex Series event, won by Ireland’s Shane Lowry at Wentworth, the Headquarters of the DP World Tour, spoke on a number of topics, especially the 2024 International Schedule and beyond, as well as the Challenge Tour.

“Outside the majors and the one WGC, which now remains, our members will play for $144 million on the DP World Tour next year and that will rise through every year to $162 million by the time we get to 2027,” Pelley commented on one of the key points in the conference.

“In an ever-changing and challenging global landscape, I think you’ll agree that is a remarkable position for us to be in. We have stability for the next five years and a long-term option to continue after that for another eight years …

“We are in excellent shape and set to get even stronger.

“In addition to the guaranteed prize funds, our PGA Tour alliance will help us transform our schedule in 2024 and we’ll be working in conjunction with our Tournament Committee to do that. They saw the first draft of it last week, and we have already had multiple meetings this week with the PGA Tour.

“We will introduce a Player Ambassador Programme, which is still a work-in-progress but will involve more than just the top players, and will formalise a proper pathway from our Tour to the PGA Tour. Since I’ve been here, all the top players wanted to get to the PGA Tour but there wasn’t a direct pathway; there is now. The best pathway to the PGA Tour is with us.

“We have a terrific Italian Open next week on The Ryder Cup course at Marco Simone with a field headlined by Rory McIlroy and Matthew Fitzpatrick.”

The prizefund for the Challenge Tour is see an elevation with the mantra being less event for more money at each event.

“We showed the first draft of our plans to the Tournament Committee last week.

“I can tell you that the concept from the players is to play less for more money. We have that opportunity now with the new investment from the PGA Tour. That’s what the schedule looks like.

“We weren’t able to expedite it to get it in place with 2023. We started meetings with the PGA Tour on the 2024 schedule, how we are aligning on that.

“We will elevate the Challenge Tour as well in terms of prizefund, but there will be less events for more money at each event geared towards getting stronger fields and giving the young and up-and-coming players a chance to play.

“I think if you talk to any of the Tournament Committee members, they are energised about it, and we are going to do it with them. It’s exciting. One of the members, which I thought was really pointed said, now we have come through Covid in a very strong way and we now have made a significant investment in becoming a partner with the PGA Tour.

“I’m really excited about the 2024 schedule,” concluded Pelley.

With the new Hero Cup recently announced to be hosted at Abu Dhabi Golf Club prior to the 2023 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Abu Dhabi and a minimum of two Challenge Tour events per year starting in 2023 as well as the traditionally strong Desert Swing, Gulf News will be following all this golf activity in exciting times for golf in the UAE as it has since 1989 when the DP World Tour first came to Dubai, the UAE and the Middle East region with the Dubai Desert Classic held on the Majlis Course at Emirates Golf Club.