Golf Features: How are you enjoying your role at the European Tour?
KP: When I took on the role in 2015, I knew a potential for growth existed on the European Tour and I think we are starting to see that come to fruition. We have made progress, but there is still work to do. We have achieved some significant milestones, including the introduction of the Rolex Series which has been transformational for our Tour. We have also been committed to innovation inside the ropes in terms of new formats such as GolfSixes, and outside the ropes in terms of our digital output. It’s an exciting time for us, with The Ryder Cup coming to France for the first time in September, so I am very much looking forward to the rest of the year and beyond.
Golf Features: Are there greater pressures in a Ryder Cup year, when the event is in Europe and how do you deal with them?
KP: We have exciting plans to make The 2018 Ryder Cup the biggest and best in history and we look forward to welcoming tens of thousands of fans from across the globe to France in September to witness golf’s greatest team.
Golf Features: How do you think that events incorporating women and senior golfers could work on the European Tour?
KP: There is definitely a narrative in golf right now for mixed events, as we showed with the women’s teams at GolfSixes, the mixed events in the upcoming European Championships at Gleneagles in August and next season’s Jordan Mixed Masters, presented by Ayla, which will see Staysure Tour, Challenge Tour and Ladies European Tour players playing together in the same event. The European Tour is leading the transformation of global golf and these are further examples of that.
Golf Features: How important is it for your sponsors to have the top stars playing at most of the events on the European Tour’s own calendar?
KP: Our players are global superstars and the way that they plan their schedules each year reflects that. What we want to do at the European Tour is to provide viable options for players and we have done that with the introduction of the Rolex Series. Another of the biggest assets we have is our diversity - in our membership as well as in the many countries we visit. It is natural that our sponsors want to have the top stars playing in their tournaments – just like any other global sporting event – and we continue to work with the players to ensure we can have the strongest possible fields in our schedule to suit the needs of all parties.
Golf Features: The recent Shot Clock Masters, achieved a clear speeding up of tournament play. Do you have plans to adopt such a strict policy in more events?
KP: This was an experiment for us to see what the response would be like globally, and it has been overwhelming, both through the players, through the media and through social channels. We are currently digesting everything that happened in Austria, analysing the findings thoroughly. We are not going to rush into any decisions, but we would love to see a Shot Clock element on our Tour in future years.
Golf Features: Are you in favour of limiting the distance that the golf ball can fly in tournament play?
KP: As part of the group of administrators of the professional game, we support the research that the R&A and USGA are conducting in this area. We will continue to collaborate with them, ensuring that any decision on this topic is made collectively.
Golf Features:How different do you think the European Tour will be in 10 years’ time?
KP: If we look at the way sport has progressed even in the past couple of years in terms of the way fans now consume content, there is no doubt that we are headed towards even bigger changes over the next decade. The migration from linear to digital continues apace and I would like to get to the point where our fans can watch every minute of the European Tour on whatever device they want to. On the course, naturally, the 72 hole stroke play format will always remain the pinnacle of our sport in terms of the Majors, the Rolex Series events and our national championships, but we also have to look towards new formats, geared towards the millennial demographic, for our sport to continue to evolve.