Golf’s two biggest men’s tours are teaming up like they never had before. The PGA and European Tours announced on Friday the beginning of a strategic alliance, one that will see the two leagues collaborate on commercial opportunities and global media rights in certain regions.
It will also mean more collaboration on global scheduling, prize money and playing privileges for both tours’ memberships. Through the deal, the PGA Tour has also acquired a minority investment stake in European Tour Productions, the European Tour’s Media Production company that produces and distributes content.
“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,” said Jay Monahan, the commissioner of the PGA Tour, in the release.
Keith Pelley, the chief executive of the European Tour, said discussions with Monahan about such an alliance started to “crystalize” earlier this year.
“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,” Pelley said. “That gave us the impetus to move forward together and arrive at this momentous announcement we are making today.”
It’s unclear what this means for the future of the upstart Premier Golf League, a proposed world tour backed by the Raine Group that planned to feature big stars, smaller fields and mega prize money. Golfweek’s Eamon Lynch reports that the Raine Group, representing the Premier Golf League, also submitted a bid to claim a stake in the European Tour.
