Keith Pelley has rubbished suggestions the DP World Tour could become the fifth-best tour in the world and branded claims it has become a feeder tour as “nonsense”.
The DP World Tour chief came out firing when quizzed about the supposed demise of the former European Tour, though when asked if he’d spoken to Sergio Garcia, who is said to be the source of the quote, Pelley said they’d not spoken for “five or six weeks”.
“Some of these players have said we are a feeder tour, and even made a suggestion that we are headed towards being the fifth tour in the world,” said Pelley ahead of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. “A feeder tour is a tour that exists purely to allow players to get to the next level. The Challenge Tour is a feeder tour. The Korn Ferry Tour is a feeder tour. I’ll ask you: Is this week a tournament that is on a feeder tour? A tournament that has sold-out crowds, television coverage around the world in 150 countries, five of the Top 15 players in the world? A tournament with 150 accredited media?
“Was our first co-sanctioned event with the PGA Tour in Scotland, where 14 of the Top 15 players played a tournament, would that appear on a feeder tour? I could go on and on. Italy, next week, for example, with the current US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick teeing it up. No, is the answer to all these questions. So can we please just stop the feeder tour nonsense once and for all.
“And as to the point of heading towards being the world’s fifth tour, one of our members who is playing here this week actually said that. It’s unbelievable. And again, let’s look at the facts. If the metrics we’re determining the top tours in the world is just money, then the No.1 tour is the PGA Tour. Always has been. You could argue that the LIV Invitational Series is No.2. But the Asian Tour, 22.5million; Korn Ferry, 20million; Japan, 28million; Australia, 5.8; Sunshine Tour, 7.4: Totalling all their prize funds together comes to just half of our tour. So even if the only metric is money, how possibly could we ever become No.5.
“But I genuinely…
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