Jay Monahan’s Bahamian Rendezvous With Al-Rumayyan Might Not Be Enough to Keep His PGA Tour Job

Jay Monahan now sits on two boards, but his position doesn’t look secure either. And, if anything, THE PLAYERS Championship pressers showed one more time that the distance between Monahan and the players hasn’t eroded. For his part, Monahan appears to have adhered strictly to the rules since June. Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of American sports team owners, has come on board. And the next chapter on LIV Golf began in the Bahamas.

The Albany meeting with Yasir Al-Rumayyan was followed by a memo in which Monahan reiterated the necessity of maintaining discreetness. But the problem for Monahan is that not everyone trusts his words. Not everyone listens to him as well. It has gone to a place where the head honcho thinks he is doing the best for his players, but the team would rather have a new chief.

Jay Monahan has a long way to go for the players

Jay Monahan called himself the best man to steer the PGA Tour ship. That was in October at the New York Times Dealbook Summit. Five months later, when asked the same question, the 53-year-old CEO had a similar answer. In between, Monahan has roped in Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of big-money sports team owners who will inject around $3 billion into the newly owned PGA Tour Enterprises. 

Meanwhile, news of his face-to-face meeting with Yasir Al-Rumayyan has also made headway. In fact, Monahan too admitted that from Ponte Vedra at his annual media address during THE PLAYERS Championship. The 53-year-old, in the meantime, has also been inducted as the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises. Nevertheless, Xander Schauffele, who once called for the commissioner’s ouster, didn’t sound convinced that Monahan was the best man for the job. 

That’s despite Monahan taking “full responsibility and accountability” for the merger announcement blunder. This was Xander Schauffele after that: “Trust is something that’s pretty tender, so words are words, and I would say in my book [Monahan’s] got a long way to go. He could be the guy, but in my book, he’s got a long way to go to gain the trust of the membership.”

Schauffele isn’t the only one disgruntled. Viktor Hovland, who earlier called out the top brass for arrogance and wanted more transparency, was not convinced by Monahan’s words. Speaking from THE PLAYERS Championship, the reigning PGA Tour Championship winner said, “There were some things that were said that have been walked back on and then things that have been very contradictory.” While Monahan did admit that the rollout could’ve been better, Hovland felt the mishap was swept under the rug. “As a leader of an organization, I want a person to take some ownership and say, ‘Hey, we made a couple of mistakes, but this is how we’re going to rectify it.’ Instead of sweeping it under the rug, which I felt like has been done to a certain degree.”

Monahan does have a long way to go, and not just in Xander Schauffele’s books. The Tour commissioner didn’t divulge anything further than that there has been a constructive dialogue with Yasir Al-Rumayyan. That’s been an improvement from obfuscating the players during June. But surely, a little less than what players on the Tour are hoping for.

Players are also not convinced that the Tour is heading in the right direction

The Signature events, with elevated purses, a limited field, and no cuts (in five of them), were created to fend off LIV Golf’s threat. No cut ensured guaranteed pay in at least five events for all the eligible golfers vis-à-vis LIV Golf’s 14. However, that restructuring has neither found universal support from fans nor has it sat well with everyone inside the Tour. 

Lucas Glover, who is eligible for the signature events, still sounds off on the matter. “I don’t like the idea at all. It’s selfish, and it’s a money grab. Nothing that has happened in the last two years in golf, in my opinion, that will help the game. I’ve yet to figure out what’s so bad out here that we had to do all the things we’ve done.”

A day later, Hovland echoed similar sentiments: “They have been great for the players that are in the tournaments. I don’t know if that’s necessarily what the fans want to watch. I don’t know if it’s long-term going to produce a better product or not.” A week prior, the Norwegian also said that the field looks a lot smaller in Bay Hill.

Curiously enough, the Signature events were the product of much deliberation among player directors. Directors on whom the 26-year-old relies for information about the developments. Directors, whom the six-time PGA tour winner trusts. And, yet, the direction Monahan is taking has not met with universal acceptance. 

Furthermore, the fans that Hovland was talking about are disgruntled as well. Jay Monahan has been getting bashed for poor broadcasting for a long time. Coupled with a lack of knowledge regarding the merger agreement, golf fans are even more irritated. The boos that followed the PGA Tour Commissioner at TPC Sawgrass were a reflection of that. Jay Monahan, for his part, has a rather unenviable job. It has become harder for him to keep everyone content.

Read More: Latest Report: Jay Monahan’s Resignation Was Demanded Months Before Viktor Hovland’s ‘Ownership’ Plea