DP World Tour cancels title sponsorship for Dubai Desert Classic

The DP World Tour has ended its contract with Slync which will see the American logistics company removed as the title sponsor of the Dubai Desert Classic.

"We have reached an agreement with Slync regarding the termination of their agreements with us for various DP World Tour assets, including the Dubai Desert Classic title sponsorship," said a DP World Tour spokesperson, as reported by the Guardian.

"The tournament will continue to be part of the Rolex Series and we look forward to the 2023 edition from January 26-29 at Emirates Golf Club."

Chris Kirchner, the former CEO of Slync, was suspended from his role with reports claiming his employees hadn't been paid for long periods and executives being fired.

Tim Kehoe is the current interim President of the company that says it is "transforming the logistics industry with solutions built to eliminate wasted time, effort and data."

Kirchner attempted to take over Derby County Football Club, but his bid failed in June. It then emerged that Kirchner owed over £2 million to football agent Paul Stretford. Stretford was meant to play a major role in the club's recovery if Kirchner secured a takeover.

The Dubai Desert Classic was won by Viktor Hovland back in January and it was the second of five Rolex Series events on the DP World Tour in 2022. Four Rolex Series events have a purse of $8 million with the DP World Tour Championship having a $10 million purse. 

The DP World Tour was under the microscope last week when it hosted the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, having been described as a "feeder tour" to the PGA Tour whom they hold a strategic alliance with.

Tour CEO Keith Pelley verbally fought back to assert that the DP World Tour has the financial power to keep its place as the number two tour in the world. He also admitted the LIV Golf Series could be considered number two having made many high-profile acquisitions.

"Let's look at the facts. If the metric determining the top tours in the world is just money, then the number one tour is the PGA Tour, always has been," Pelley said at Wentworth.

"But The Asian Tour, $22.5m; Korn Ferry, $20m; Japan, $28m; Australia, $5.8m; Sunshine Tour, $7.4m. Totalling all their prize funds together comes to just half of our tour. So even if the only metric is money, how possibly could we ever become number five?

"A tournament that has sold-out crowds, television coverage around the world in 150 countries, five of the Top 15 players in the world? A tournament with 150 accredited media?

"Our first co-sanctioned event with the PGA Tour in Scotland, where 14 of the top 15 players (in the world) played, would that appear on a feeder tour? I could go on and on."