The truth is, it's difficult to make money just by running a tour – whether it's the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, most of the money goes back to the players.
So we're thinking bigger. For example, we are about to launch our first Legends Tour Resort, a £600 million project.
We are also exploring branded academies, golf course-related real estate opportunities and even a clothing line. We want to create an ecosystem around the Tour that leverages various revenue streams outside of tournaments.
The conversation surrounding professional golf, especially the men's game, is largely about prize money and the huge bonuses that players can earn. Do you think the public is tired of the constant focus on money?
There's a lot of money in professional sports in general – look at football or Formula 1 – and I don't think people necessarily get tired of it.
The challenge is to ensure the tournament remains commercially viable, especially with all the competition from entities such as LIV Golf.
Our Legends Tour prize money has increased significantly since I took over, from $3.9 million this year to about $8 million, with a goal of $10 million next year.
By 2030, we hope to host 15 tournaments with a prize pool of $2 million each, in addition to the majors. It's ambitious, but we're building an ecosystem to support this growth.
Can you tell me about your relationship with the Trump Organization?
marvelous. Eric Trump in particular was very supportive of our event and the Trump Aberdeen team did a great job hosting the PGA Seniors Championship.
Donald Trump himself even took the time to send personal messages to the players before one of our games and call the winners after the game, which was a nice touch.
Say what you will about Trump, but the people in his organization are first-rate and they have been great partners for us.
Finally, where do you play golf?
In the UK, Wentworth and Beaverbrook were my clubs. Wentworth is my home club and I love the West Course. Beaverbrook is a private members club near Leatherhead, Surrey and the whole setting is very special.
I spent a lot of time in the south of Spain and Finca Cortesin was my hometown club when I was working there. Kind of like Beaverbrook, it has a special feel. I like it there very much!
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