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Keith Pelley's plans get players' support

Dubai - Pelley announced earlier this week that ET members will henceforth only need to participate in five tournaments, as opposed to 13, to retain their cards for the following season.

Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter have given their unequivocal backing to the European Tour (ET) chief executive officer Keith Pelley's far-reaching plans for the continental circuit.
Pelley announced earlier this week that ET members will henceforth only need to participate in five tournaments, as opposed to 13, to retain their cards for the following season.
That considerable concession has understandably gone down well with top-level golfers that divide their time between Europe and the USA, with world number three McIlroy clearly a fan of the Canadian and his avowed 'player first philosophy'.
"I love everything; I love his vision and how aggressive he's going to be going forward," the Northern Irishman replied when asked for his impressions of Pelley. There are a lot of things to be done, but he's made a great start and he's saying all of the right things.
"I love where he's thinking. I love everything that he's saying. It's just a matter of now trying to implement those changes, which is obviously easier said than done."
Meanwhile, Poulter - who is 47 places below McIlroy in the global standings - believes the five-tournament requirement is a win-win situation for all concerned and will help entice American stars like Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed to even more events.
"It's a sensible thing to do," the 39-year-old commented. "When you look at a few players that are around the top 50 mark, that do play two tours, it would make it very difficult for them to be able to commit properly and you don't want those guys not playing."
alex@khaleejtimes.com