A new landmark strategic alliance between the PGA and European Tours could mean that the early stages of a fully-fledged world tour are up and running
Is This The Start Of A World Golf Tour?
The elite professional men’s game was rocked earlier this year when news around a very serious new world tour was made public.
The Premier Golf League threatened to become the new Formula 1 of golf and had bags and bags of cash to lure the world’s best players away from the PGA and European Tours.
Players like Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott were open to the idea, but the game’s second biggest name Rory McIlroy said he was “out” and that was a huge blow to the newly-proposed PGL.
Four-time Major winner Brooks Koepka followed McIlroy in also saying he was also out.
However, a number of months and a global pandemic later, things seem to be looking less rosy for the PGL and much better for the PGA and European Tours who have today announced a ‘landmark’ strategic alliance.
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Are we in the very early stages of a fully-fledged world tour? Quite possibly.
The new strategic alliance sees the PGA Tour acquire a minority investment stake in European Tour Productions (ETP), the European Tour’s Media Production company, which produces and distributes content internationally.
The Tours will also work in partnership on a number of other areas including global scheduling, prize funds and playing opportunities for the respective memberships.
We’ll know more about that in due course, with further details set to be announced.
One interesting element of the partnership confirmed today is the fact that PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will take a seat on the Board of the European Tour.
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Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “This partnership is an historic moment for the game of golf and is a fantastic opportunity for both the European Tour and the PGA Tour to explore ways to come together at the very pinnacle of our sport and work in unison for the benefit of the men’s professional game.
“Today’s announcement is the formalisation of a closer working relationship between the Tours in recent years. It was one which was crystalised earlier this year when both Jay and I were part of the working group containing representatives of the four Majors and the LPGA, a group which helped shape the remainder of the golfing calendar for 2020 during unprecedented times.
“We shared the challenges of working through a year neither of us could have ever imagined and we found definite synergies in many areas of our respective Tours. That gave us the impetus to move forward together and arrive at this momentous announcement we are making today.”
Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA Tour, said, “We are thrilled to announce this further strengthening of our partnership with the European Tour, and we look forward to working together for the benefit of the men’s professional game and for golf fans around the world.”
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