Exclusive:LIV wanted to 'destroy us' - DP World Tour CEO opens up in wide-ranging interview

In an exclusive and wide-ranging interview with The Scotsman on the eve of the season-ending DP World Tour Play-Offs in the Middle East, Kinnings spoke openly about several key aspects of the Tour, from speculation about the current health of the circuit to the wellbeing of its members and its plans for membership and invites for next season.

In terms of the former, he revealed that the European Tour Group has “strong cash reserves” and pointed out that over $1 billion is currently contracted across the tour. He also spoke about the strengthening of the Tour’s position in terms of its managing partner role in Ryder Cup Europe having recently acquired an additional 20 per cent stake ahead of the centenary edition at Adare Manor in Ireland next year.

In his chat at Club de Golf Alcanada as the Grand Final on the HotelPlanner Tour was heading towards a conclusion on Sunday, Kinnings also opened up on a number of things which are under consideration, including the possibility of a change in the 2028 DP World Tour schedule as well as the possibility of some “external capital investment” coming into the Tour.

Here’s what Kinnings had to say in his exclusive chat before heading straight from Spain to the Middle East for this week’s Abu Dhabi Aldar Championship at Yas Links.

Q. Lots of people have been speculating about the DP World Tour recently, especially on the back of the accounts being published while the circuit is also being talked about a lot as we wait to find out what is going to happen with LIV Golf. What are your thoughts on the current landscape?

GK: “Speculation is a good word as there is certainly a lot of that flying around at the moment. I know there has been some commentary on our finances but our financial structure, like any global business, is complicated. Anyone can take a figure here or a figure there and make it sound like it's something different.

“But the reality shows that there is some real strength, some stuff which makes me bullish about now and what we’re going to do going forward. We have strong cash reserves, but the thing that's most notable for me is our record sponsorship levels. People do not sponsor and spend unless they believe in the product. We're over 100 per cent up from 2019 to 2025 with over a billion dollars currently contracted across the Tour. That's great for us to have.

“And it's not just the sponsorship. You've got TV viewership up seven per cent this year alongside consumer levels in terms of ticketing and merch and hospitality up 30 per cent year on year. So people are engaged, the fans are engaged, really engaged.

“But, at the same time, we have got to be realistic. It's not been easy. We’ve achieved all these things against the backdrop of a crippling global pandemic, two global conflicts which remain ongoing (in territories - Europe and the Middle East – which host the majority of our tournaments), and a media rights collapse. These things take their toll.

“So, as I said, we have to be realistic. My goal is to ensure we make the Tour as sustainable as it can possibly be now, and into the future. In many ways, this is almost the time for a reset, a bit of a recalibration for the game so to speak.

“What LIV did was take prize funds to an artificially high level and, as has been shown recently, on the back of an entirely unsustainable economic model. As our former Board member Paul McGinley said in a recent interview, it's a false economy. Therefore, as we discuss everything with our partners and people who want to work with us, we will be putting a lot of things under consideration.

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“Does that mean adjusting our prize funds? Does it mean changing the schedule a bit? Do we double down on our biggest and best events and focus on our strengths like our Rolex Series events and our National Opens? Does it mean considering bringing in capital investment to help us grow our events further? Nothing is off the table, but everything will be done in consultation with our Tournament Committee, our Board and our members.

“In 2028, with the PGA Tour operating from February to August, that gives us an amazing opportunity from September through to the end of January almost without anything else going on, to truly shine a light on international golf as golf’s global Tour. My only job is to act in the best interests of the members, all our members, and make sure the Tour is as strong as it can be now, and looking forward into the future.”

Q. People seem to be doubting that the Strategic Alliance would continue in a non-LIV era. Do you worry about that scenario unfolding?

GK: “The Strategic Alliance has worked really well for both parties. The PGA Tour has benefited having us as partners with everything they've had to deal with and we have unquestionably benefitted from their financial support. As we have said from the outset, it doesn't matter what we are dealing with, we are better together.

“Brian Rolapp’s been very clear. He has said he wants to extend the Strategic Alliance and that's exactly the goal that I have. We're working on it right now. We haven't resolved everything and there are things yet to be worked out. But the relationship has worked well, and there's no doubt that it's been very positive. It's been good for us and good for them. I like working with Brian and we both want to get it done. I have every confidence we will.

“But it is not just the PGA Tour – we have so many wonderful partners. We have over 50 years of history and we’ve got sponsors who've been around for a lot of that time. They want to be with us on the journey and that's a huge asset. Another huge asset we have of course is our players, both our core membership and our dual membership led by Rory McIlroy.

“From a commercial perspective, to have DP World as solid and supportive as they are week in week out is amazing and for several years we have seen what the Rolex Series has delivered. And, aside from the PGA Tour, we have long-standing relationships with so many other Tours. We have our partnerships in Australia, in South Africa and in Japan and Korea and now we have added back in the Asian Tour, which gives us a chance to now return some of those great historic co-sanctioned events to our Tour in places like Hong Kong and Singapore.

“We also have a great relationship with the game’s governing bodies such as Augusta National and The R&A who, aside from giving our Tour spots into their respective majors, are also hugely supportive of our global vision. All of that shows a strength which makes me realise that whilst there are some challenges, we are building from a strong position.

“We're on the verge of finishing a great season. Our 2027 schedule starts in a couple of weeks, but we have got to make sure that we're ready for what 2028 brings. 2028 is going to look different. The PGA Tour is already shaping it in America and we need to do the same for the rest of the world. But, with all of those partners by our side, I remain very confident we'll do it.”

Q. Eddie Pepperell wrote a very thoughtful article recently for his The Chipping Forecast podcast. What is your take on some of the things he had to say?

GK: “Eddie writes well and speaks well and when he does, people listen. He is unafraid to point things out and I will always appreciate that. I listen to every member and I certainly listen to Eddie.

“What was interesting, however, about what you reference was that his blog highlighted some of the challenges he felt we were facing specifically in terms of our membership and invite policy for next year, something that initially was born out of his own personal position [having finished outside the cut-off point for retaining his Tour card automatically].

“But another commendable facet of Eddie’s character is that he has always had a degree of objectivity and, after what he wrote in his blog, I saw he came back to it on Instagram and went, ‘You know what, actually, because the way the Tour has already gone about changing some of the categories and eligibility numbers for next year, it’s reasonable to expect that my playing opportunities in 2027 will look very similar, possibly even more.’

Q. Mentioning invites, do you understand though, that some players, including Marc Warren and Joost Luiten, are hurt by some players wanting to play on the DP World Tour without any category. Shouldn’t they have to earn that place?

GK: “There's lots of players wanting to play on our Tour. We've got pathways from around the world and that’s a good thing. And there are players who are going through Tour School or playing our HotelPlanner Tour and trying to get there on merit. But we also now see lots of players who are looking at their options and who want to come and play. Some really strong names. So we're in a strong position,

“But, in terms of the invites, I believe there is a slight misconception as to what we are doing with these so I want to try and clear that up. For a start we are not creating a special exemption category for these invites and secondly, these invites are not for our Rolex Series events. They will be targeted around some of those smaller tournaments, the smaller national opens in the period from February through August, that would benefit from stronger fields.

“Remember, we have a lot of inventory. In 2027 we have over 20 regular tournaments on our calendar from February through August and in some of these, we don't always go through all of the categories. And the invites will only be a limited number and in addition to existing ones.

“So if you go to a promoter and say, ‘Listen, we might be able to add a player to your field who's a multiple Tour winner, on our Tour or the PGA Tour, or even a Major winner, and he’s also willing to help with the promotion and marketing of your event’, you end up with a happy promoter, a happy tournament sponsor and a happy broadcaster.

“And that is what I mean when I say that we will only consider invites to players who bring genuine value. There are different ways to add value and if it’s at the right moments in the Tour with the right players then that will happen. And, if we can do that, then I believe we have a chance of putting the Tour in a stronger position which, in the end, benefits everyone.”

Q. Sergio Garcia has talked about “coming home” to the DP World Tour after leaving LIV and others, too. Are DP World Tour members right to be irked about that or do certain players deserve the status that they've earned over a period of time?

GK: “I listen to what players say and I understand the sensitivity. It's got to be as fair as it can be and as merit based as it can be, but there is probably no perfect solution.

“Regardless of who the players are, they've got to prove themselves in the system. I understand what some players are saying, because things have been said in the past. But if players are ready to say, I'm now ready to be supportive, do good things for the Tour and try and help, then we have to look at that.

“We've got to protect that special culture that we have on the Tour. And you see it across the whole Tour. That's why I'm so proud of what we have - it's like nowhere else in the world.

“But we also have to protect the Tour against an entity who spent, so we are told, over $7 billion, with one of their aims being to ‘destroy the DP World Tour’. I have heard that from so many different people they talked to, who I have known for over 30 years within the game and who I trust implicitly.

“Clearly when you are faced with statements like that, and then people then ask why we are doing what we are doing with our membership and invite policy for 2027, then I think the answer becomes pretty obvious.

“Myself and everyone at the DP World Tour have a duty to our members to protect our Tour. We are proud of that and are proud that we treat everyone who works for the Tour, whether that be staff, suppliers, contractors, everyone, with respect and dignity. We pay them and pay them on time. We look out for everyone.

“Our Tour that has been in existence for over 50 years and it stands for everything that is good, right and proper in the game is worth fighting for and that is precisely what we have done and what we will continue to do.”

Q. One of your top events is the Genesis Scottish Open. Where do things stand in terms of that fitting in with the PGA Tour’s new Championship Series?

GK: “The truth is we don't know yet. We're in the middle of these conversations with Brian and his team, and we're working on that. He's still working to shape his Championship Series. We're still working out our product for 2028. But we will work our way through and find what is the best solution.

“The Genesis Scottish Open is a wonderful tournament. I mean, you look at the quality of the experience, the venue, the field, our homegrown talent and the international heroes like Tom Kim who won this year. At the end of the day, we'll work out what is in the best interest for everyone.

“It’s great that over 50 of our core and dual members who played in the Genesis Scottish Open this year then went on to play in The Open at Birkdale. So to give pathways for people to be able to qualify for The Open by playing in a great tournament on a links course the week before The Open, for me that’s the most important thing.”

Q: We're heading into the season-ending Play-Offs, with a number of big names not in Abu Dhabi this week or Dubai next week. Is that disappointing?

GK: The reason why our Tour is so wonderful is that it’s made up of these fantastic individuals and they are individuals. Every player has a choice and control over his own schedule and it’s a personal choice.

“If you don't want to be at a certain tournament, that's entirely up to you. I totally understand why the question is being asked and you have to report when some big stars aren't there. At the same time, I'm looking at where we are and the reality is that we're going into these tournaments with maybe one of the most exciting races we’ve ever had building for the Race to Dubai title.

“We’ve got back-to-back Masters champion Rory McIlroy bidding to equal Colin Montgomerie’s record of eight titles. We’ve got Patrick Reed, who's taken such a lead in what he did earlier in the year and shaped his own future. And then young Eugenio Chacarra, who's played unbelievably this year.

“To have those three battling it out in Abu Dhabi and Dubai will be fascinating. In addition to that you have global superstars such as Tommy Fleetwood and Jon Rahm and for the first time in 15 years, we've got three of the season’s Major champions on the DP World Tour. You've got Rory, you’ve Aaron Rai, you've got Ryan Fox and they're all going to be playing in Dubai.

“We're not going to be short of star attractions. I'd love to have every player there that could be but I respect decisions that are being made in an individual sport. The players who are there will make for an amazing spectacle. I'm always focused more on who is there rather than who isn't.”

Q: David Law played 11 weeks in a row at the end of this season to save his DP World Tour card and spoke about how he felt the schedule needs to be changed to avoid players travelling halfway around the world at that stage of the year and being impacted both physically and mentally. Is that something that you are conscious of?

GK: “I am very conscious of it. For many, many years, I was out on the range working with players. I know how hard it is. Whether you're fighting to win a tournament, whether you're fighting to keep your card, whether you're at Tour School, it's really hard. And it's especially hard at this time of year because we don't have the luxury of being able to play most places in Europe. And that invariably means long-haul destinations.

“I totally empathise. I like David enormously and I know him and his family. He's had it hard. And we are conscious of that. We want to try and make the schedule as user-friendly in terms of travel as it can be. But sometimes these decisions have to be made. They're unignorable commercial reasons. But we also are mindful of players' physical and mental health.

“We have a helpline set up not just for the players, but for caddies and our own staff. We're all part of a community. We respect everyone and we are always looking to try and improve if we can.

“It goes back to what I was saying before and all the things we've got to consider. Have we got the schedule right? Are there too many tournaments? You want to give players the opportunity to shape their own future, but it's a hard thing for them to say, ‘I'm going to take a week off.’

“David was playing every week to try and save his card. Eugenio's playing every week to try and win the Race. They're putting themselves through it. I get it. These guys are pounding and I have total sympathy.

“I know a lot of them recognise we've got to make some hard decisions at times. Our Tournament Committee and others, we talk to them all the time, they recognise that we need to do things to make ourselves sustainable long term, to have them all in the best place in the next 10, 20, 30 years.”

Q: Some of these people who are “coming home” are not eligible to be Ryder Cup captains at the moment. I take it that there is no desire from anyone from the Tournament Committee or whatever to change that?

GK: The rule as it stands is that you have to have been in continuous membership to be considered for Captaincy. This was introduced in 2017. Nobody even knew what LIV was then. Everyone believes it was done as a reaction to LIV but the truth is it wasn't. We've spoken to the Tournament Committee and they are very firm in their view that this rule should remain. We respect that.

“I think Paul [McGinley] put it quite well in his interview that I referenced earlier. Everything we do is about abiding by the rules. Right at the start when we were talking about why we've done what we've done. We've been to Sport Resolutions and appeals and every time our rules have been upheld, deemed to be fair and reasonable and so we will enforce them.

“Everyone who wants to be on our Tour should be ready to abide by those rules. If people don't want to, then they shouldn't be considering membership.”