Just when you thought there was enough upheaval in the world of men’s professional golf, along comes a couple of major announcements to toss some much-needed turmoil into the equation.

Hot on the nicely-polished heels of Martin Slumbers, the R&A chief executive, stating that he will be stepping aside at the end of the year, Keith Pelley, the big cheese at the DP World Tour, confirmed yesterday that he is leaving his post with the Wentworth-based organisation.

By the time you take a sip of tea and continue reading this article, Jay Monahan, the embattled commissioner of the PGA Tour, will probably have scribbled his own resignation letter. Nothing yet? Oh, well.

Pelley’s surprise move comes as the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour remain embroiled in negotiations about forming a contentious alliance with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which bankrolls the breakaway LIV series.

The 60-year-old, who took up the reins of the European circuit back in 2015, is returning to his native Toronto to become president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), which owns the city’s four major sporting franchises.

Critics will hiss that Pelley is jumping ship but it’s a dream post for the Canadian. “This role with MLSE, and the chance to be involved with my hometown sports teams in Toronto, was the one opportunity that I simply could not resist,” said Pelley, who became just the fourth chief executive of the DP World Tour in its 52-year existence.

In comparison to the tumult of the golfing environment at the moment, his new job will be as tranquil as the Yukon wilderness. Thankfully for the DP World Tour, there is a ready-made replacement in the shape of the canny Guy Kinnings, who will take over at the start of April.

Given that he used to manage Colin Montgomerie, a role broadly equivalent to handling a ticking time bomb on a daily basis, one can’t imagine Kinnings will be fazed by the current turbulence at the top end of the men’s game. But who knows where golf will be by the time Kinnings gets his feet under the desk?

Pelley’s tenure, meanwhile, was certainly lively. On his watch, the European Tour was rebranded the DP World Tour after the agreement of a major sponsorship deal with the Dubai-based firm.

Pelley steered the circuit through the perils of the Covid-19 pandemic, a period which had many doom mongers fearing for the tour’s very existence, while the signing of a ‘strategic alliance’ with the PGA Tour brought much-needed financial stability.

As that partnership strengthened, however, many thought that Pelley had sold out to the all-powerful American circuit and had effectively turned the DP World Tour into a feeder circuit.

Always keen to try new things, Pelley’s suck it and see approach led to some innovative, if short-lived, events that were full of good intentions like the Golf Sixes and the Shot Clock Masters.

The success, meanwhile, of the Rolex Series, the G4D Tour for golfers with a disability and mixed competitions with the Ladies European Tour and the LPGA Tour have been worthy of acclaim.

His time over the past couple of years, of course, has been consumed with the emergence of LIV and all the associated palavers it has created.

As golf’s civil war intensified, stalwart figures like Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Sergio Garcia, wooed by the LIV millions, claimed they should be free to play wherever they wanted as independent contractors.

Fines and suspensions flew in wild abundance and the lawyers were drafted in. Pelley and the tour won the subsequent case but the rebels resigned their memberships amid great volleys of bickering, bitching and bitterness that would’ve made Kramer versus Kramer look like Steptoe & Son. You can’t imagine that Westwood and company will be lamenting Pelley’s departure.

“When I came over from Canada back in 2015, I set out to create a culture of innovation and to grow our prize funds and our tour for our members by ensuring that we appealed to new, younger and more diverse audiences,” said Pelley.

“We have done that and so much more because our players, staff, partners, broadcasters and fans have all fundamentally bought into that philosophy that we are in the entertainment industry.”

The shenanigans in the men’s game have certainly provided plenty of entertainment over the past year or so. Pelley’s departure is another intriguing twist in the plot.