The day after R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers he announced that he would resign by the end of the yearthe upheaval in Europe continues as the DP World Tour announces that CEO Keith Perry is leaving to take a job at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.
Perry, who took over the European Tour in August 2015, will be succeeded by Guy Kinnings, who currently serves as Ryder Cup Europe’s deputy CEO and executive director, on April 2.
“When I returned from Canada in 2015, I set out to create a culture of innovation and expand prize money and tours for our members by ensuring we appealed to a new, younger and more diverse audience,” Perry said. said. statement. “We have done all this and more because our players, staff, partners, broadcasters and fans have all fundamentally embraced the idea that we are in the entertainment industry.”
Mr. Perry oversaw an eventful period in the history of the DP World Tour, including the circuit’s strategic partnership with the PGA Tour, which was strengthened in June 2022. The partnership included three jointly sanctioned events between the tours: the Genesis Scottish Open, the Barbasol Championship and the Barracuda Championship – which gave the continent’s top players their way onto the PGA Tour. Ta.
The Canadian is also a key player in ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to create a for-profit entity that includes the Tour, European Circuits and PIF-owned LIV Golf. The Tour and PIF extended the Dec. 31 deadline to reach an agreement, and people familiar with the negotiations said the two teams are continuing to work toward a final agreement.
Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is the parent company of four Toronto-based sports franchises: the NHL’s Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Raptors, MLS’s Toronto FC, and the CFL’s Argonauts.
“This role at MLSE and the opportunity to be involved with a hometown sports team in Toronto was an opportunity I simply couldn’t resist,” said Perry. “This is something I have always wanted to do at some point in my career and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity.”
Kinnings joined the European Tour in 2018 after a long career as a player manager in IMG’s golf division. He is also the tour’s chief commercial officer and oversaw last year’s Ryder Cup in Rome.
“It was a great honor to take on this role in April and I am extremely proud to have been given this responsibility,” Kinnings said. “I look forward to working with our players, staff, gaming partners and our very impressive management and senior management team to build on everything the Tour has achieved in recent years.”
