During the PGA Tour’s players’ meeting on Tuesday in Toronto, Tour professionals called PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan a “hypocrite” and said that it was time for a new leadership. Standing ovations were given for the latter comment.
This moment occurred shortly after Monahan surprised the players he represents by announcing a secret agreement to merge commercial interests into a newly-formed business entity between the DP World Tour, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the rival LIV Golf.
Monahan’s own description of the meeting as “heated” or “intense” has created an impression that Monahan is in a chaotic and weak position. Monahan is perceived as a man who has lost all trust in the players.
According to a former Tour pro, this is a shortsighted view.
He wrote “Survive?” in a message. They are going to raise him and throw him an event.
It may be several years before the parade can take place, as it will need to wait for the anger to subside and for players’ good service during golf’s civil war to be rewarded. Monahan is in a stronger position than he has ever been, despite the beatings he took in public opinion over the past few days. His only rival is now his partner and he is the CEO of the proposed for profit enterprise. He is leading a global golf entity with two board members covering him – Jimmy Dunne and chairman Ed Herlihy.
“Can he make it through?” He has already won. “This is game, set and match”, said a long-time PGA Tour executive who knows how the Tour works. “Now, let’s dissect the game. How did the Tour go from being down two sets to just one, and then suddenly they went 6-0 6-0? We win. Oh, and by the way, our new doubles partner is the guy who just beat us.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan spoke at a press conference in Atlanta, Georgia ahead of the Tour Championship 2022. Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images (Photo)
Monahan, Herlihy, and Dunne have ascended to the summit of this brave new world. According to a press release announcing this deal, the Tour would hold the majority board seats. It was a power grab, a turf grab. Monahan kept his job under the banner of “this is best for the sport.”
Monahan was convinced to attend a meeting by the two board members who were his consiglieres. The governor of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Yasir al-Rumayyan made Monahan a mafia-themed offer that he could not refuse. He realized there was no bottom in the Saudi pockets, and LIV would continue to poach and extort players. He sold his soul for the money.
It was then a question of how he would justify his sudden change of heart and explain to his members his complete lack of transparency. He could say that the litigation was a waste of resources, and that dropping it could prevent its dirty laundry from being exposed in discovery. This could be problematic. Monahan will not publicly address the Tour’s challenges, but sources claim that sponsors were hesitant to pay more for designated events. The Tour funded these through its reserves this year. TV networks also wanted to modify their long-term contracts due to the loss big names.
It’s possible that the Tour’s rainy-day fund was not equipped to weather the storm. The deal would be a success if the Tour could remove the source of money. All the anti-Saudi rhetoric in the fight against LIV turned out to be a strategy to secure a better price. Monahan was aware that he would be branded a hypocrite for making the deal.
“Jay was beaten, burned, and abused. Will he lose his job?” “No,” said the ex-Tour executive.
At least one agent of a multi-major winner made phone calls to his players to find out how Monahan might be removed from office, so that the unsatisfied pros could hit the stop button on the Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudis.
It was an autocratic choice. The agent replied, “This is supposed to a be a members’ organization.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan speaks with Dustin Johnson at the 7th tee of the pro-am before the RBC Heritage, which will be held on Harbor Town Golf Links in Hilton Head Island on April 13, 2022. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images).
The players are left with little or no choice. The players could vote by a majority to remove Monahan, but that would confirm the decline in support for his leadership. Monahan’s removal can only come from the top, and the board is the place to do it. Two of the independent board members are also on board of the newly formed entity.
The Player Handbook does not include a section on “How to Replace the Commissioner”. However, a player can organize a meeting by submitting a written request signed by two or more player directors from the Tour’s Policy Board or a petition that is signed and dated by at least 25 percent of PGA Tour voting members. The Commissioner must schedule and announce the meeting within 30 days after receiving the petition. To have a meeting about policy, you need to do a lot of work.
Monahan has lost the trust of many players, but they do not speak with one voice. They are divided on PIP and designated events. Former Tour pros have said that “the majority of the players only care about whether their direct deposit will work on Tuesday.”
Monahan is not only in a secure position, but he has become more entrenched. Nobody has the power to undo his agreement. The players have no voice. The players would have to organize against their own association. Monahan could lose his power if the U.S. Department of Justice finds that the merger is in violation of anti-trust laws. Herlihy is the Tour’s Chairman and co-head of one of the leading law firms. His specialty is mergers & acquisitions. He will know how to guide the Tour through any murky water.
The former Tour executive stated, “The corner office has been set.” Monahan may be in tatters now, but his legacy will grow in the future.
It was as simple as selling the PGA Tour soul, less than a year after Monahan had said that it wasn’t up for sale.
