PGA Tour boss makes stunning 'that's on me' confession over failed Saudi deal

Jay Monahan has admitted he mishandled the announcement of the PGA Tour’s controversial Framework Agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), delivering a candid assessment of one of the most divisive moments of his time in charge.

The outgoing commissioner made the admission during an interview with Eamon Lynch on Golf Channel, which aired on Thursday, November 5, as he reflected on a decade overseeing professional golf’s biggest organisation.

His comments arrived on an extraordinary day for the sport, with LIV Golf also confirming it was winding down operations and entering liquidation after a proposed $300 million financing deal collapsed.

Monahan, who will step down as commissioner on December 31, was the debut guest on Lynch’s new programme, Eamon Lynch Has Questions. 

The wide-ranging conversation covered the PGA Tour’s battle with LIV Golf, failed attempts to unify the sport, the COVID-19 pandemic and the legacy he will leave behind.

However, it was Monahan’s frank assessment of the Framework Agreement announcement that stood out.

The deal, unveiled live on CNBC on June 6, 2023, stunned the golf world. 

After 12 months of fierce opposition to LIV Golf and its Saudi backers, the PGA Tour had suddenly agreed to enter negotiations with the very organisation it had been fighting.

Monahan said his intention had been to bring an end to the damaging split in men’s professional golf, believing the agreement would ultimately strengthen the Tour’s position.

But he acknowledged that the way the announcement was handled only fuelled the backlash.

“Because I mishandled the communication, because the rollout was a failure, that ended up prolonging all of that,” Monahan told Lynch.

He was even more direct when addressing the criticism surrounding the decision.

“Anything as it relates to the way that was handled, or the way people were surprised by that, that’s on me,” he added. 

“Would I like to have that back? I would have liked to have had it back that day. But that’s not the way things work.”

Monahan admitted he would have changed the approach had he been given the opportunity, recognising that the announcement had left players and supporters blindsided.

The fallout also took a significant personal toll. Monahan revealed that the pressure surrounding the negotiations left him struggling to sleep and experiencing physical symptoms of stress, eventually forcing him to step away from his duties for a month to focus on his mental health.

He subsequently returned to the role, with efforts to reach a long-term agreement with the PIF continuing into 2025.

Those negotiations ultimately failed to produce a resolution, despite a high-profile meeting at the White House involving Donald Trump, Monahan and representatives from both sides.

Monahan said the meeting reinforced the need for the PGA Tour to concentrate on strengthening its own business rather than continuing to pursue an agreement that appeared increasingly unlikely.

That strategy included the creation of PGA Tour Enterprises and a landmark investment from Strategic Sports Group, alongside new media rights arrangements and a strategic partnership with the DP World Tour.

The commissioner also reflected on the Tour’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of The Players Championship in March 2020 after just one round.

The PGA Tour returned to competition at the Charles Schwab Challenge in June, becoming the first major sports organisation to resume its schedule during the pandemic.

Monahan will retire from the commissioner position next month, with Brian Rolapp set to take over on January 1, 2027.

Asked how he hoped to be remembered, Monahan declined to define his own legacy.

“History will determine what my impact or what my legacy was, and I'm very comfortable with that,” he said. “Because I gave everything I could to try and help the PGA Tour.”

The timing of Monahan’s reflections could hardly be more significant.

LIV Golf confirmed on Thursday that it is winding down operations and entering liquidation after BC Partners Credit withdrew from a proposed $300 million financing deal for a relaunched version of the league.

The collapse followed a failure to secure commitments from enough of its biggest names, including Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Tyrrell Hatton, Joaquin Niemann, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Sergio Garcia.

After years of bitter conflict, the breakaway league that fundamentally changed professional golf is now dead.

Monahan’s tenure will therefore be remembered not only for the PGA Tour’s battle against LIV Golf, but also for the controversial agreement that attempted to bring the two sides together — and the admission that its announcement was, in his own words, a failure.