On June 6th, players were so confused about the direction of the PGA Tour, that at least one reportedly called for commissioner Jay Monahan’s resignation.
Nine months later, those calls for Monahan to step aside haven’t grown any quieter.
During his yearly press conference at the Players Championship on Tuesday, Monahan was asked if any of those calls for him to resign came from members of the PGA Tour players on the Tour’s Policy Board.
“There’s been a lot of good-spirited debate amongst our board,” Monahan said. “I don’t think that would be a surprise to anybody, you know, given the events of last summer.
“But we are a unified front.”
The commissioner didn’t exactly dispel the idea that calls for him to be removed were made, but he later affirmed his own belief that he is the best person to lead the PGA Tour right now.
“I can’t generalize as it relates to players, but clearly given the responsibility I’ve been given by both boards, I have the support of our board, and I am the right person to lead us forward,” Monahan said. “I know that. I believe that in my heart, and I’m determined to do exactly that.”
His comments came during a press conference that featured far more questions than answers as it relates to the future of the PGA Tour.
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This was Monahan’s first press conference since the formation of PGA Tour Enterprises, which came about after a multi-billion dollar investment from the Strategic Sports Group.
Meanwhile, Monahan is also still trying to finalize the agreement that was first unveiled with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, the financial backers of LIV Golf, back in June. Monahan kept details of the negotiations close to the vest but said they were “accelerating” and revealed he, along with the leaders of the SSG, traveled to Saudi Arabia in January to meet with PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.
He deflected on multiple questions relating to the specifics of the negotiations
“It really is not in the best interest of the PGA Tour and our membership and for PIF for me to be talking about where we are with specific elements of our discussions.”
However, he also admitted that he “could have handled that better” regarding the rollout of the initial June 6th announcement of a framework agreement with the PIF.
“I’ve taken full responsibility and accountability for that. That’s on me,” he said.
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The secrecy surrounding the June 6th deal was one of the key gripes many players had with Monahan during a players’ meeting with the commissioner that day at the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto. Monahan and PGA Tour board members Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy and a handful of other executives were the only people from the Tour privy to the talks before the deal came to light. Some players found out about the agreement over social media.
Even Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, who was then a player director on the policy board, were only informed of the deal in the hours leading up to the announcement.
According to the UK Telegraph, it was during that meeting that Grayson Murray, then the World No. 227 playing on the Korn Ferry Tour, called on Monahan to resign as PGA Tour Commissioner.
Both the Telegraph and Golf Channel reported McIlroy yelled back, “Just play better, Grayson,” which got a “bad response” from the room of players.
To his credit, Murray did, earning back his PGA Tour card for 2024 and winning the Sony Open in his first start of the season in January.
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But criticism of Monahan didn’t fade and speculation of an impending departure from his job only grew as Monahan took a more-than month-long medical leave from his role shortly after the announcement. Six-time PGA Tour winner Hunter Mahan tweeted just before Monahan returned in July that players were “done with” him as commissioner.
Around the same time, three-time major winner Jordan Spieth said this in response to a question about trust issues with Monahan once he returns.
“Yeah, quite a bit, just based on conversations I’ve had with players, and I think he realizes that,” Spieth said. “I’m sure he’s preparing for a plan to try and build it back.”
As the discussions over the future of the Tour and the landscape of professional golf have continued, Monahan’s role has only grown, including with the creation of PGA Tour Enterprises, a for-profit venture that will manage the PGA Tour’s commercial endeavors, which Monahan will lead as CEO. He still will keep his role as commissioner, while gaining a seat on the PGA Tour policy board.
“For me, [I’m] honored to serve as commissioner and now be a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board, and also honored to be CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises and be a part of that board, and committed to working with each of those boards to make sure we’re moving this business forward and achieving what we can achieve to its full capacity,” he said.
At least for the time being, Monahan has made it clear he’s not going anywhere.
