Guy Kinnings believes he can help bring the game together after replacing Keith Pelley as the Chief Executive Officer of the European Tour Group.
Kinnings has been the European Tour Group’s Deputy CEO, Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Director - Ryder Cup since 2018, and now becomes only the fifth person in the CEO position since the Tour was established in 1972.
One of his first tasks will be to reach an agreement with the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund (PIF), the backers of LIV Golf, on how to unify the game once again following the disruption caused since LIV Golf launched in 2022.
Talks to initially heal those rifts began last June, when the three organisations shocked the sporting world when announcing a framework agreement, promising to unify the game of golf, on a global basis.
Talks have been ongoing since then, with the original deadline of December 31, 2023, to reach an agreement extended.
“There’s many great things going on in the game of golf right now, some very good figures,” said Kinnings, who had overall responsibility for the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome - the most successful edition to be staged in Europe
“But there’s certainly been a lot of disruption and noise within the professional game. I think we have a great opportunity now to look forward, I think there’s a chance for us to focus on unity and alignment; change in itself is a good thing.
“I think as we look forward, we have an ability now to bring the game together. I’ve been lucky enough to be in a lot of recent discussions that have been going, and I think it’s now our job, and I’m optimistic that we can look forward to a bright future for the sport.”
With many questioning where the DP World Tour sits in the current talks after reports suggested there were no representatives from the European circuit at a recent meeting between the PGA Tour and PIF in the Bahamas, what does Kinnings believe is the role of the DP World Tour in the current climate?
“I think there’s been a shift in thinking about the game of golf to a more global mindset,” said Kinnings.
“And that’ something we really welcome and something that plays to our strengths. We have a global footprint, we have huge global experience, essentiality for 50 years we’ve been growing relationships around the world and staging events in different countries.
“I think that allows us a great opportunity to shape the game in the right way.”
