Report: Senior PGA Tour execs provide update on under fire boss Jay Monahan

Two senior PGA Tour executives have provided the first update of under fire boss Jay Monahan after he stepped away from his day-to-day duties.

Ben Smith

29 Jun 2023

Report: Senior PGA Tour execs provide update on under fire boss Jay Monahan

There was intense speculation about the future of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan after he stepped away from his day-to-day duties two days before the third major of the year began.

On 13 June, two days before the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club, it was confirmed the embattled PGA Tour chief was stepping away from his role temporarily.

The news came only days after the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf's backers, the Public Investment Fund, announced a 'landmark agreement' to align their commercial interests under the banner of a new, for-profit company.

His announcement stunned the sporting world.

Would it be unreasonable to suggest a large proportion of golf fans were left scratching their eyes when Monahan appeared alongside prominent Saudi businessman and LIV mastermind Yasir Al-Rumayyan in a CNBC interview minutes after the deal was announced?

| According to SI, Jay Monahan is expected to return to his role as PGA Tour commissioner.
Monahan stepped away from day-to-day duties two days before the U.S. Open began over a 'minor health issue'. pic.twitter.com/M0GmJBSRDa
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) June 29, 2023

Monahan faced calls to resign during a heated players' meeting at the Canadian Open. The meeting came a year after he publicly tried to shame those thinking of joining the breakaway tour.

When was the last time you had to apologise for being a member of the PGA Tour, Monahan asked passionately, imploring those mulling the idea of making the leap to LIV to think twice.

Monahan was labelled golf's biggest hypocrite and the 53-year-old is said to have acknowledged this in a further meeting with PGA Tour staff.

We don't know what 'medical issue' Monahan suffered but it's not too hard to connect the dots. It has been a stressful time for Monahan.

Per a report by SI, we have our latest update on the PGA Tour chief.

That came in the form of Ron Price and Tyler Dennis who have been jointly running the organisation.

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Dennis told SI:

"What we've been communicating to our constituents is that Jay is OK. We understand he's recovering. The Monahan family has asked for privacy and continues to do so, and we've simply been respecting that. We do expect him to return."

There has also been intense speculation about the future of LIV Golf.

Earlier in the week details of the aforementioned 'landmark agreement' were leaked after US lawmakers demanded answers from Monahan.

The five-page document appeared to be lacking in detail but it did appear to suggest the future of LIV Golf is up in the air.

Dennis refused to entertain the question of whether or not LIV Golf could eventually fold.

He said:

"I think you have to go back to what was announced and the spirit of the framework. And that’s simply that working together and working in a way that's unified is going to be better for the sport, better for the professional game, better for the PGA Tour."

Elsewhere in the report, Dennis and Price were strong in their contention the PGA Tour will be the 'clear leader' of the entity going forward.

It will be called PGA Tour Enterprises.

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