18 January 2024 , 15:57
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Departing DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley has admitted he 'respects' Jon Rahm's decision to join LIV Golf, despite the previous bad blood between the two circuits.
Rahm became LIV's biggest signing yet in December, after the Masters champion penned a deal with the breakaway league worth a reported £450 million. The Spaniard will prove a huge loss to the PGA Tour on the back of his suspension, and will no doubt have to reduce his playing time on the Wentworth-based circuit also.
Since LIV's rise onto the scene in June 2022, the DP World Tour have opted not to ban those who have made the switch, but do have the authority to issues shorter suspensions and fines to those who compete in events on the breakaway circuit.
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For now, Rahm remains a DP World Tour member, and at this week's Dubai Desert Classic, Pelley - who is leaving his role in April - admitted has no issues with his decision to defect. "Jon is a great champion, and I respect the decision that he made for his family," the CEO told reporters earlier this week.
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Pelley's departure will come at a key time in the world of golf, with the negotiations of a peace deal between both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) ongoing. The deal is set to bring an end to the ongoing feud between the two tours and their LIV rival.
At the end of the December, those involved missed their New Year's Eve deadline to complete the deal, extending talks into 2024. Speaking about his exit last week, Pelley claimed that he had delayed his departure in order to help get the agreement over the line, with a deal expected to be done by this year's Masters.
Jon Rahm made his LIV Golf move in December (Oisin Keniry/Getty Images)The 60-year-old revealed talks between the relevant parties had intensified since last October's Ryder Cup. " I think we will certainly have a direction of travel by [April] yes, I do. I do believe so," he added. "I think, as I said, the conversations have heated up since Ryder Cup. We expected that."
Pelley's exit in the spring will see him return to his native Canada, after taking on a similar role in charge of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, who run the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto FC and the Toronto Raptors. Before he does make his departure from golf he hopes to see the sport unified and continue to grow globally.
"I think the growth of the game is global. I think that's where the focus needs to be," Pelley said. "You see that here in Dubai. You saw that leak with the Dubai Invitational. I think for me, what I would like to see is the game becoming unified with a global strategy."