CEO of The R&A Plays Golf with PIF Governor and Suddenly He's Out

Is it just a coincidence that CEO Martin Slumbers is leaving The R&A after playing in the Alfred Dunhill Tournament with PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.........Hard to believe.
Slumbers is only 63 years old and yet is stepping down as CEO of The R&A which includes The Open Championship. Is he leaving the top of the golf world just to go fishing? We can't buy that....
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Special credits in this episode: (none this time)

[@dpg0jod]

Guys, your channel is heads and shoulders above any other golf commentary. Expert analysis. I also enjoy when the two of you do not agree but still take each others’ very informed opinions for a test drive. This channel is the best!!! Intelligent and highly informative, especially all the behind the scenes kerfuffle. Keep up the great work!

[@ThinkingManShow]

Very kind DPG! We’ll keep to it.

[@ThinkingManShow]

Very kind DPG! We’ll keep to it.

[@coobay4786]

I'm sitting out on my deck smoking a cigar and drinking my morning coffee and enjoying the conversation. Keep up the great work guys.

[@ThinkingManShow]

Delightful spot Coo.

[@dereckguilfoyle1219]

Pelley sold the DP World tour out with the terrible one sided partnership with the pgatour. A strategic partnership between LIV, DP World tour and the burgeoning Asian tour makes 1000 times more sense in every way.

[@aussiegolfer59]

If this happened it would have been way better for world golf - also partnering with Australia and making the aus open the 5th major

[@dpg0jod]

LIV should change their name to the WGA; the World Golfing Association

[@frankmollegaard1989]

Option E sounds close. Not likely you fire someone and then keep them around for a year. Great show and excellent debate, very entertaining :)

[@markhinde6187]

Q. Could Monahan be next ? individuals have been treat very badly possibly illegally, so maybe they are taking the golden handshake before the tables turn. Example.... When a footballer (an independent contractor) signs for another club, would it be "legal" if he or she were banned from playing for their country ?

[@jusDau]

quickaside = mini rant

[@Beenjammin37]

Gotta love our quick visits to Kansas! Rock on Dark Star. Felt the aside was very valuable.

[@CamMacMastermusic]

The only golf podcast I listen too. Kudos !

[@ThinkingManShow]

Grateful to you CamMac! Thx a bunch. Grab our audio podcast on Substack if you haven't already.

[@aja4191]

The last few top guys left r&a to be top man at the world rankings. That was so the top associations kept their grip on running it as they saw it.

[@Ball_Striker]

Peasant power!! But I'm glad Pelley's a gonner, he was disgusting. Besides, what's a Canadian doing running a European tour? The R&A is making room for Liv players to be included in the Ryder Cup and The Open. The roll back is a self inflicted wound to any tour, really BAD idea. smelly Pelley has friends in high places. Slumbers heading up NewCo is a nice theory and if true, Liv Golf has a foot in the door into the Majors regardless of the laughable OWGR. Slumbers, the Lawrence of Arabia!

[@norman75tw54]

What is the deal with all the commercials now, that was one of the most attractive/appealing reasons to watch?

[@alienrenders]

Pelley was CEO of TSN and Rogers. TSN and Rogers each own 35% (total 70%) of MLSE. Bell owns TSN and Pelley has also held an exec position there. MLSE offered Pelley CEO position 8 years ago. They claimed they were worried that Pelley was too much of a Rogers guy. That makes no sense. Just by the fact that they're offering him the job now doesn't change his past resume. He's still worked for Rogers. That means Pelley turned it down 8 years ago. That CEO position has been available for just under 2 years. Have they been planning his move since LIV came into existence? Looks like it. Fact is Pelley is going back to a job he turned down 8 years ago. Slumbers and Pelley are both on the OWGR board. They're both on the IGF. Pelley is chairman of IGF. IGF is the recognized board for golf in the Olympics. Pelley is also the Managing Partner of the European Ryder Cup. Both Pelley and Slumbers started in 2015 and they're both leaving at the same time. Though Pelley is staying until the Masters (will the PIF deal happen?) and Slumbers is staying until the end of the year. The guy on the right is correct. The majors are the ones behind everything that's been going on. The majors are pulling the strings as to what happens with the PGA. PIF getting Slumbers to start a new major is interesting. It's notable that he's staying until the end of the year and hasn't announced where he's going.

[@andreastusch2526]

Famous song comes to my mind: „did he jump or was he pushed?“

[@aussiegolfer59]

Hi guys another killer podcast - have you ever thought about getting hank Haney on the podcast as a guest…. He seems to be on the same page about many topics and also May have some great insight to offer

[@ThinkingManShow]

Thx Aussie G......love to have Hank on the show. What topic would you most like us to cover with him?

[@analyticalgardener6050]

I see the PGA - American tour the LIV world tour supporting the DP - Korn ferry minor league for aspiring players. with seven continent major opens

[@josephwirtz8352]

Dark Star, a chipping net with a window as a backboard?

[@ThinkingManShow]

And shoots baskets into the washing machine.

[@SiLoMixMaster]

Another good show gents, valid points from both sides, I lean towards a promotion for Slumbers paid for by HE

[@ThinkingManShow]

Thx SiLo as always. We'll be looking for any breadcrumbs over the coming months that reveal where Slumbers is headed. We are hard pressed to believe it's a retirement village.

[@gibo7958]

Slumbers had issues when he was a Deutsche bank , not sure why he got the R&A job , but he might be part of the secret society that all these elites seem to belong to , I think he did nothing in the role ,and his predecessor now runs the OWGR so it’s a closed shop for these top jobs , Yasir would only take him if he can add value to PIF, so will he get LIV ranking points before he goes ?, if he can do that then maybe Yasir said we have a job for you , time will tell , but whatever the reasons I’m glad both are going

[@dereckguilfoyle1219]

Slumbers will go to PIF to set up a new "major" on behalf of LIV. He did a great job commercially with the Open. Royal Liverpool was a massive commercial success. That will be his lasting legacy.

[@DanielSong39]

It's called the Saudi International The course is good, just needs to be toughened up a tad

[@dereckguilfoyle1219]

@@DanielSong39 I think they will move it around the world, 1st most likely Australia with the tournament history, then South Africa, China, Japan then Saudi after its well established, rotation sort of thing, other countries too of course but you get the gist.

[@DanielSong39]

@@dereckguilfoyle1219 The idea was there as early as 1991 with the Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship That was supposed to pave the way for official major status and a fully global World Tour

[@richarddavenport1838]

Both Pelley and this guy need to go, European Golf needs to embrace the money and as the PGA has relegated the DP WORLD to a feeder tour which shows little appetite for non US golf events, then it needs to jump in with the Saudis.. Happy days bring it on ! He's being pushed out and has a 12 month exec clause in his contract, lucky man who did a crap job.

[@oahujuniorgolfassociationc6656]

I tend to agree with DS here. Slumbers like pelley is in a slow firing process designed to save face on all sides and make sure everyone bounces back with some kooshy gig they don’t really deserve; like all those football coaches. DS was on topic but just not such a focused topic wherever his co host wants to live. We are all expecting for Monahan to be in the same boat and then the pga of America guy. I do think the masters guy is above all of this. He will go when he and the club are ready for him to go. But all of these other guys are very dispensable. They all have upset the players, the fans, and most importantly ‘the powers that be’. These guys created all sorts of conflict-manipulating many people to pass up life changing opportunities- while also holding back their organizations-only to then play golf with the “enemy” in slumbers case or go behind the backs of everyone to full on date the same enemy in Monahans. Pelley of course following Monahan blindly throughout. So there guys all know now the writing is on the wall that they better move on before they get moved on.

[@ThinkingManShow]

Thx Oahu.

[@camojack6293]

After several months……years of all this coming -n- goings. Seems that the golf atmosphere is spinning around without much control. I dunno fellas but, I gotz things to do……….like play golf, take my meds, keep up on my colonoscopies and take the wife to dinner on Wednesdays. 😅😊. I guess I don’t care what, where or things happening to these CEOs players Love the show.

[@ThinkingManShow]

Well said Camo. Perspective.

[@hjplano]

wait a minute, isn't DarkStar a R&A Member ? PS--I know several members but afraid to ask on this one !! >>>>I LOVE THE BALL ROLLBACK

[@ThinkingManShow]

Well HJ........you could act as if you already know Martin is headed to PIF then gauge the reaction. "The Saudis will be well served having Martin there. I'll be watching with interest."

[@pauljcross2289]

Rory confirmed he's moving back to UK

[@CamMacMastermusic]

All in all let’s just hope that the Ball roll back gets relieved of its duties as well.

[@ThinkingManShow]

lol

[@guyh.4121]

I heard Slumbers had a bit of a sordid past. Is that true, have you guys heard anything on that matter? Pelly ends up as the Chairman of MLSE which is actually a bigger deal than the job he left. He’s been there before.

[@loreleivoile4108]

Big Boy Pants Golf broke down his Deutsche Bank history a while back: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bnapgI17gKt5Ztk

[@alienrenders]

Pelly was kicked out. He's going to a job he turned down 8 years ago. That CEO job has been available for 2 years. He's worked for as CEO or top exec for TSN, Rogers and Bell. Bell owns TSN... and TSN and Rogers own MLSE. He could have had that job anytime he wanted, especially 8 years ago when they offered it to him.

[@gibo7958]

Slumbers was involved with some scandal at Deutsche bank when he was there I believe

[@BillSawyerPlus]

Darkstar is waaaaay deep and over thinking this... of course its E... Slubers gets chummy with HE, he's been in that job for some time and see's where the wind is blowing. HE offers him a a PIF job overseeing golf ops worldwide. Perfect fit, so easy. Guarantee when 2025 rolls around and we know where this whole newCo thing is going, Slumbers will be right there!

[@ThinkingManShow]

Thx Bill. If we all said to each other over a scotch that PIF is planning to hire some one person from the Majors / aristocracy, likely we would all approve that strategy. Which one? would be a good conversation. The Englishman would have a bit of a head start given the long history and relationship between Saudi and Brits. And here we have this Slumbers news.

[@tybo9]

I hate the golf ball roll back!! I've worked hard as a 47 year old...through workouts and speed training to get 270+ carry, and every now and again, 300 on the roll! It's my favorite part of golf! Now they are going to take that away from me! I think I'm done in 2030!

[@DanielSong39]

I watched the Sony Open, the course wasn't that hard but it was not a 3 shot course (hit it as far as you can, hit it as high as you can, make putts) The scores were low but there were some bogeys on the closing holes and the Par 5 18th was not a gimme birdie I don't think it's the distance, I think it's the course and the setup

[@johnpaton8047]

Just can't wait for Jay to tender his resignation.

[@ThinkingManShow]

And he’s made millions with little talent.

[@Marky_Muk]

Dark Star will definitely get the job

[@ThinkingManShow]

Darkstar for DP head! That would work.

[@Gottaloveit468]

I wouldn’t mind getting a year notice from my employer. :)

[@ThinkingManShow]

Thx Paul……wonder what Slumbers outgoing compensation looks like. Is it obscene or really offensive?

[@billyburroo]

not sure any organization listens to it's employees especially governing bodies if they did how has Monahan kept his position i'm sure there's not one pga member that would support monahan and honestly is norman the right man for LIV going forward he's success was bought with PIF money for all this to work going forward there needs to be unstained leadership away from some very nasty rhetoric from both leaders

[@patrickwadle6471]

Tiger will run the pga

[@DanielSong39]

Masters has a weak field and it never seems to hurt them

[@wgsmit02]

It is about to this year

[@DanielSong39]

@@wgsmit02 Nah I think they can fill this tournament with guys from the Asian Tour and no one would budge People will watch Phachara Khongwatmai put on a green jacket after holding off a charge from Jaco Ahlers I mean the highest rated horse racing event is the Kentucky Derby. To be frank they are not the 20 best horses in the world, not even close

[@wgsmit02]

@@DanielSong39 why are we pretending that LIV shouldn't be getting points towards their world ranking

[@DanielSong39]

@@wgsmit02 Masters has always had a weak field, probably since 1934 There are usually 6-7 events every year that have better fields

[@hrhornby]

Yawning while I listen to this. How about doing a show that is real news instead of more speculation.

[@user-jy7js7tu9y]

You don’t have to listen! It’s not a mandated forced vaccination situation here!

[@ThinkingManShow]

…..define “real” HR.

[@DanielSong39]

@@ThinkingManShow Two possibilities: (1) Straight reporting on events that have already occurred and have been officially announced (2) Narration of talking points from the Corrupt Golf Media