The head of the European Tour has been pretty quiet lately with the storm of the Corona Virus sending professional sports to the sidelines.
In the United States, the PGA Tour is making plans for a return to action at a date to be determined.
The R&A has already cancelled the Open Championship and the European Tour is in limbo.
Across the pond, the London-based Daily Telegraph got hold of a memo from European Tour CEO Keith Pelley and published it.
The memo outlines what will include “significant changes” to the Euro Tour’s schedule.
In the memo, Pelley said the following:
“Our tour has enjoyed a significant period of growth in recent years, in terms of prize funds, playing opportunities, and the overall standard of our events, as well as our broadcast product. The impact of coronavirus has stopped this rapid momentum in its tracks and it will, in fact, require us to reassess many elements. Some of those alterations could include the elimination of “top class players’ lounges or courtesy car services,” but the biggest involves the cutting of tournament earnings.
Prize funds will also most likely be different, Pelley’s memo read. “The reality is, the pandemic is going to have a profound impact on the Tour financially, as well as many of our partners, both in the sponsorship and broadcast areas.”
Pelley’s speculation included thoughts that his Tour may not return until the fall, and when it does, multiple tournaments could be played at one site.
“Let us say we are given the go-ahead by Governments and health authorities to resume play in the first week of September,” Pelley said. “That gives us 16 weeks between then and Christmas to try and play as many tournaments as possible.
“We are looking at options such as a) multiple tournaments in the same location; b) two tournaments in the same week or three in a fortnight; or c) three or four tournaments back-to-back in the UK with a 14-day ‘quarantine’ period ahead of that to allow players not from the UK to come over and self-isolate in advance, if that health requirement is still in place then.”
Pelley did emphasize that the important Rolex Series events based in the United Kingdom are the priority for the Tour and its broadcaster, Sky Sports, saying the Tour will “play behind closed doors if necessary.”
It’s obvious from Pelley’s statement that the European Tour doesn’t have anywhere near the financial strength of the PGA Tour.
So what’s next for Europe?
No telling.
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
Impressed by Pelleys leadership once again.
Again, tix sales in golf are nice but sponsors are where the real money is. Clearly as sponsors struggle; so will golf tours.
It’s all pretty obvious really but Pelley is doing the right thing by laying out the situation transperantly.
Tom Edrington
Unfortunately, the Euro Tour doesn’t have a rich, fat uncle like the PGA Tour does in the form of Federal Express.