There’s no way to avoid feeling some sympathy for Jay Monahan who resigned as PGA Tour Commissioner last week due to an undisclosed health issue. Who among us did not feel shocked when we heard that Chesson hadley expected to be rewarded by the PGA Tour for remaining loyal and refusing to leave for LIV? This declaration shows how myopic entitlements have spread from the Tour penthouse to the basement.
Monahan is in a precarious situation, and that’s even before the health problems. Monahan has been cast as the face for a rapprochement between the Saudi Arabian Government, a deal that is ill-defined and ignominious. It promises a future where the Tour must rationalize its proximity with regime atrocities. Monahan was aware that he would be widely criticized when he announced his agreement on 6 June. This included by members of his team who had been blindsided and the families 9/11 victims. He would have estimated that the fallout could be career-ending.
The 9/11 families have every right to feel that they are being manipulated. What about the Tour players? Monahan’s team has been agitated by the Tour players since the beginning of the spectacle. It’s fair to criticize the Tour for its lack of a proactive response to the Saudi-funded LIV League, but it is difficult to remain flexible when members are constantly shifting the goalposts. By deciding in 2024 that certain events will not be mandatory, sponsors would essentially get the same field guarantee as before — no — but have to pay significantly more.
The membership issues go beyond the simple selling of the product. In the past three years, several prominent players did not defend their Tour but held it hostage by threatening to leave for LIV without their demands being met. Monahan admits that the compensation model created by these demands is unsustainable without external investment. PGA Tour players are a perfect example of what can happen when a sport is consumed by greed. It’s not over yet.
Patrick Cantlay, a confident man who looks like he would be a partner in Goldman Sachs even if it wasn’t for the logo on his cap has been rallying players to oppose the deal with Saudi Arabia and members of the Tour policy board that architected or supported it. His objections to dealing with human-rights violators are not based on morality. Existing PGA Tour incentives won’t much benefit Cantlay. Cantlay won’t benefit from the Player Impact Program, which rewards stars based on fan engagement. The only thing he can influence is the gauge on his vehicle. Cantlay’s coup is based on the idea that, if LIV ceases to exist as a threat, which will happen under the agreement, then players like Cantlay have no other options, no influence over the Tour and no chance of getting the lucrative payouts they are entitled to.
Cantlay, according to multiple sources, has been in love with LIV for a while, even while he was a member of the Tour’s policy board. He also maintained a balance like a gymnast while he sat on the fence.
Patrick Cantlay, of the United States, and his caddie Joe LaCava, wait at the eighth green during a practice session prior to the Wells Fargo Championship, which will be held on May 3, 2023, at Quail Holl Country Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images).
Cantlay is scheduled to meet with the policy board in Detroit on Tuesday afternoon. It could be a fractious meeting if his coup plans are made public. His gripes aren’t getting much traction with players, for three reasons. First, Cantlay doesn’t have the same interests as the rest of the membership. They’ve maximized the benefit that they will see from a new market competitor, which is bigger purses. Second, other players are more upset over the process than the policy. (It’s about not being informed on the decision, and not taking Saudi cash.) Third, the framework agreement hasn’t been detailed, so players haven’
One of these factors will change. Specifics will emerge eventually, but with Congressional investigations and a Department of Justice probe looming over the horizon, any union towards a new, for-profit entity is likely to be slow.
The men’s professional game of golf has been a bonfire for reputations. Some of the men’s professional golfers were ruined by their decision to work for the Saudi regime, and to deny its abuses. This deal was followed by others to normalize their investment in the sport. However, it may have been a way to save face. Others will soon throw themselves onto the pyre to claim their share. If Chesson hadley thinks he is entitled to the spoils of war, how many others must be in front of him?
Monahan’s return to the PGA Tour is unclear. It’s understandable that he would opt out. What’s the point of doing a job where you have to do scavenging to pay the outrageously high price his players place on their charisma to make ends meet? A value which a rational market does not seem to support.
