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Paul McGinley branded claims the DP World Tour is bankrupt “bulls**t”, insisting the tour has a “great opportunity”.
Speaking to Brian Keogh of the Irish Independent, the former Ryder Cup captain – now a director at the Wentworth-based tour – insisted the strategic alliance with the PGA Tour represents a “phenomenal deal”.
The partnership had been criticised in some quarters, with players such as Lee Westwood branding the DP World Tour a “feeder tour”, with some commentators claiming the circuit was on “life support”.
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But according to McGinley, nothing could be further from the truth.
“Relations have never been better between the two tours,” he said. “They are working very collaboratively together. We’ve just announced record prize funds and so has the American tour.
“I know everybody doesn’t want to believe me and everyone wants to believe the rumours that we’re bankrupt and we were saved by the Americans and all that bulls**t. That’s absolutely not true.
“We’ve now hitched our wagon to the PGA Tour, and it provides long-term security for every player on the DP World Tour going forward. It’s a phenomenal deal we’ve done with the PGA Tour.
“And it’s the path of least resistance in terms of risk. So it’s a great opportunity now for the European Tour to grow and slipstream with the PGA Tour.
“The big benefits of the strategic alliance will really kick in in 2024 when you’re going to see more joined-up thinking between the two tours.
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“And you’re going to see a big focus, particularly in Europe, from mid-August until early November. That’s about all I can say at the moment.”
The strategic alliance has already seen events such as the Genesis Scottish Open become co-sanctioned with the PGA Tour, while the two circuits announced a 13-year venture which guarantees prize fund growth in Europe for five seasons.
With $144million on offer in the 2022/23 campaign, this season is the most lucrative in DP World Tour history.
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