European Tour gets new CEO

Virginia Water - The head of a Canadian media conglomerate that acquired rights to the NHL in the largest sports deal in the country's history has been hired as the new chief executive of golf's European Tour.

Keith Pelley, a 51-year-old Canadian, will replace George O'Grady in the role from this summer. O'Grady takes up a new position as president of international relations.

Pelley is currently president of Rogers Media, which has responsibility for 51 radio stations, 56 publications, 12 national TV stations, 300 digital properties as well as the Toronto Blue Jays, Canada's only Major League Baseball team. Pelley helped Rogers Media orchestrate the acquisition of a $5.2 billion NHL rights deal for 12 years.

Pelley was previously president of Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium for the Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010.