Who is Guy Kinnings? 15 Things You Didn't Know About New DP World Tour Boss

Get to know the new man at the top of the DP World Tour with 15 facts about Guy Kinnings

New DP World tour boss Guy Kinnings
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
By Paul Higham
published

When news broke that DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley was leaving his role to return to Canada, thoughts immediately switched to his successor.

No time was wasted in Pelley's deputy Guy Kinnings being named as the man to take over the role in one of the most tumultuous times ever in golf.

But what do we know about the man taking European golf into a brave new world? Well, let's find out. 

1. Kinnings was born in Wolverhampton in England in July 1963.

2. His parents moved house so that he could attended Shrewsbury School.

3. He went to Oxford University where he got a law degree.

4. The first job Kinnings had was with London law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer as a solicitor.

5. After joining the legal department at IMG in 1989, Kinnings altered course to become an agent for the company's stable of golfers in 1991.

6. Kinnings spent 29 years at IMG eventually becoming global head of golf and co-managing director.

Guy Kinnings

Guy Kinnings succeeds Keith Pelley as DP World Tour boss

(Image credit: Getty Images)

7. Kinnings joined the European Tour in 2018 as deputy CEO to Keith Pelley just before the Ryder Cup in Paris.

8. Part of the job for Kinnings was to oversee all commercial aspects of the Tour and Ryder Cup.

9. Another role Kinnings performed at the DP World Tour was as Ryder Cup executive director - and was credited with a lot of the commercial success of recent runnings.

10. As part of his previous role at IMG, Kinnings was once Colin Montgomerie's manager in the 1990s and early 2000s.

11. Legendary golf agent Mark McCormack, who Kinnings says "basically invented the role of a modern sports agent" and who managed the likes of Gary Player and Arnold Palmer, taught Kinnings the ropes at IMG.

12. Among others, Kinnings also used to manage former Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn.

13. He was captain of his cricket team at school - during a winless season.

14. His brother Max is a novelist and co-wrote Rik Mayall's spoof autobiography "Bigger than Hitler - Bigger than Christ" - which was in the 2005 Sunday Times bestseller list for six weeks. 

15. Tiger Woods calls Kinnings 'Pinky' as he's often either wearing a pink tie or pink shirt.

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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