The newly installed chief executive of the European Tour group, Guy Kinnings, has urged the PGA Tour to seize the opportunity provided by Rory McIlroy’s willingness to return to the boardroom to help heal divisions in the game.
The Guardian revealed on Monday that McIlroy will assume roles on the PGA Tour’s policy board and the PGA Tour Enterprises board, subject to a vote on Wednesday. McIlroy is motivated by a strong desire to end the current split in elite men’s golf, where the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Tour are essentially operating independently of each other.
“I would welcome it wholeheartedly,” said Kinnings, who succeeded Keith Pelley this month, of a McIlroy return to a position of power. “It would be an incredibly positive move for the PGA Tour to take but it would be great for everyone.”
Golf’s key constituent parts now involve various tours and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, which backs LIV. McIlroy enjoys positive relations with Yasir al-Rumayyan, the head of the PIF.
“He takes an interest in so many aspects of the sport,” Kinnings added. “I have known him for a very long time and he is so thoughtful. You think you know what is going on in the game and then you listen to Rory and say: ‘Wow, he has put that so well.’
“You want to have people who are ready to apply that kind of knowledge, experience and thinking. He is very well connected with people at the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour – we rely on him hugely – and also the PIF. He is the right person with those connections [and] would be a huge asset.”
Kinnings is adamant that a “united, global” route is necessary for the sport. “I see this as an amazing opportunity,” he added. “We truly have that, with the right people and voices to help shape it. Tiger [Woods] is involved, I am delighted Rory is looking at this. These are the people who should be helping to shape the game they have given so much to.
“I think it needs to be addressed and it needs to be addressed quickly. You need the right people round the table, giving it thought because this is complicated.”
McIlroy would become the only European voice on these PGA Tour committees, which itself is notable. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour have a strategic alliance but there has been general concern about European golf being left behind, with focus on the US. “I was always delighted to have European representation,” said Kinnings. “I think it is far better to have a global view and Rory truly has that.
“It is such an important time and he is passionate about reaching this solution that we all agree is in the best interests of the sport globally. So I think he would be so valuable, so constructive. Personally and on behalf of this tour, I would be delighted if he was back playing a very significant role in the important discussions that are ongoing.”
