Paul Lawrie, the Scottish professional golfer, has been appointed to the board of the European Tour Group (ETG), the parent company of golf’s European, Challenge, and Legends Tours, as well as a partner of the Ryder Cup.
Lawrie takes up the position of non-executive director immediately, with the ETG saying he will bring “important player perspective to the board”.
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The rotational system used as a means of best-practice governance will see Northern Irishman David Jones and Englishman DJ Russell step down.
Lawrie has previously served two spells on the European Tour’s Tournament Committee – from 2007 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2017 – and spent three years (2015 to 2017) as a promoter of the Paul Lawrie Match Play tournament on the tour. He also runs the Tartan Pro Tour, a developmental series for male and female professionals aspiring to play on the European Tour, the Ladies European Tour, or the Challenge Tour.
Lawrie joins the ETG board at a significant time, with the European Tour having recently agreed a major title sponsorship deal with its longstanding partner DP World, the impact of which the tour’s deputy chief executive Guy Kinnings and commercial director Max Hamilton discussed with GlobalData Sport.
Of Lawrie’s appointment, David Williams, chairman of the ETG, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Paul to the Board of the European Tour Group and I know his experience of a wide range of Tour matters both inside and outside the ropes, will be invaluable to us.
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By GlobalData“We have an excellent balance on our current board between experienced business leaders and respected professional golfers, and we are fortunate that Paul is not only a knowledgeable businessman but also one of our most valued members.”
Lawrie added: “Having played in many events over the past 30 years and now with various business interests away from the course, I will use my experience to help continue the excellent work of the current board.”
Lawrie competed on the European Tour from 1992 until 2020, after which he began competing on the Legends Tour.
He won the prestigious Open Championship in 1999, is a winner of the Ryder Cup teams event, and an eight-time European Tour event winner.
