"I went to the hospital" - PGA Tour boss reveals health struggles after LIV Golf backlash

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has revealed he sought hospital treatment days after announcing the controversial framework agreement with LIV Golf's financiers. 

Monahan will leave his role in the top job at the North American circuit at the end of the year and it's not unreasonable to suggest what transpired on 6 June 2023 will go down as the defining moment of his tenure. 

After more than a year of unprecedented disruption in the elite men's game, Monahan announced the PGA Tour intended to combine its commercial interests with Saudi Arabia's PIF, which bankrolled LIV, and the DP World Tour. 

The deal, which was hashed out in secret in a series of secret meetings around the globe, was intended to end the bitter divide in the sport which had begun since LIV's arrival in June 2022. 

But Monahan faced a furious backlash from PGA Tour players, who accused him of betraying their trust by agreeing to work with LIV Golf's Saudi backers. 

The 56-year-old was also accused of hypocrisy and emotional blackmail, having previously challenged players considering a move to LIV by asking: "When was the last time you had to apologise for playing on the PGA Tour?"

Monahan didn't resign, but took a brief medical leave of absence on 13 June, just seven days after the framework agreement was announced. 

He returned to work on 17 July. 

Reflecting on the period in a recent interview with Golf Channel, Monahan said he realised he needed to step away when he couldn't sustain his usual morning jog. 

"I got up on Saturday morning," said Monahan. "I went to the beach. I run the beach fairly often. 

"I had been noticing that I couldn't really sustain any runs. I didn't have any energy for an extended period of time. I started to run. I couldn't run. I walked. 

"I had an interview for 11 o'clock that morning and I was thinking about that interview. I sat down and I was all by myself, and I really thought about where I was and what I was feeling and what I was thinking. 

"And I realized that I needed help. I didn't know what to do. I don't think anybody in my orbit knew that I was struggling to the degree that I was."

Monahan said he turned to his wife, Susan, for help. 

"I could tell she knew the minute she walked out that something was really wrong," he added. 

"And I told her. I said, 'I'm in a bad place and I don't know what to do. I literally don't know what to do. I can keep fighting and keep doing this, but I'm not sure that's gonna be the most productive thing for me in the tour right now.' 

"So we spent that entire day here. Susan's incredible. She's not only the love of my life, she's also extremely thoughtful and very, very bright, very practical. 

"We decided that in getting help, I needed to go literally get help. So the question is, where are you going do it?  

"I'm not sure I have all the facts straight, but I believe it was later that afternoon I went to the hospital."

Monahan said he has since fundamentally changed the way he lives his life. 

"I'm up at the same time every single day, slightly after five o'clock in the morning," he said. 

"I begin my day by journaling. I spend time in my faith. I spend time thinking about the promises I made the day before, what I need to accomplish the day ahead. I get my workout in.

"I'm more conscious of what I eat. 

"By the time I've woken up at that time of the day, I've slept a lot better than I've ever slept before. 

"It's a combination of a lot of things that I think have, have helped me be able to deal with all the stresses of life."

Monahan said he wasn't worried about losing his job and was more concerned about putting things right. 

The PGA Tour continued to work on a deal with the PIF but it became apparent at the turn of 2025 that it was unlikely to ever be consummated. 

Monahan said PGA Tour officials left a meeting at the White House in February knowing it was better to walk away. 

"I think this [was] the fourth time we had made a proposal [to the PIF] or we'd come with a recommendation on how to proceed," he said. 

"And it was very clear that that wasn't going to work. 

"So the good news from that meeting is that it confirmed what we thought was going to be the outcome. 

"Having Tiger Woods, having Adam Scott, having the president host the meeting, it was very clear that we needed to keep continuing to do what we were doing, which is focus on what we control ... making the PGA Tour as strong as we could."