PGA Tour Veteran Bashes Jay Monahan With His Rebellious Comments Amid PIF Merger Hopes

No matter what Jay Monahan wants the world to believe, Jimmy Walker is unconvinced. It’s gone to a point beyond caring for the one-time Major winner. Walker, who last played at the 2023 RSM Classic, feels Jay Monahan is “so full of it” that his words can’t be taken at their face value. 

The PGA Tour commissioner confirmed that talks with PIF, the financial arm that fires LIV Golf, are going on steadily. In fact, the Tour commissioner met the Saudi sovereign fund chief, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, in January. Moreover, the player-directors of the Tour are also set to sit with PIF officials soon. But Walker doesn’t seem to be hopeful. “I don’t pay much attention to what Jay says anymore. I think he’s full of it,” the former PGA Championship winner shrugged.

Notably, Monahan once again reiterated in THE PLAYERS championship press conference that he is the best man to lead in the future. That confidence wasn’t shared by all. Xander Schauffele, for instance, claimed Monahan has “ got a long way to go” to regain the players’ trust. That trust eroded after the 53-year-old chief surprisingly announced a merger with PIF last June. Up to that point, not even sitting board members had any clue.

Although, the Tour Commissioner said that discretion is called for due to the delicate nature of the agreement, Jimmy Walker hasn’t forgotten what happened in the past. “They’ve kept us in the dark and a lot of this has been handled extremely poorly. Do I have any faith in the Tour? I don’t know. I really don’t think we’ve got some of the best and brightest working on it,” the six-time PGA Tour winner told Bunkered.

The veteran golfer also lamented, “It’s incredible that we’ve done so much to counteract all this and you’ve got all these guys that were so on board with PGA Tour and now they’re leaving.” That reality is not lost on anyone, however. Not even the player-directors of the Tour, who were earlier dismayed at Jay Monahan for throwing the gauntlet. 

PGA Tour Players-directors can meet PIF officials as soon as Monday

Eamon Lynch of Golfweek reported that the player directors and PIF officials might sit down for a face-to-face talk as soon as Monday after the PLAYERS Championship ends. However, pressed on the specificity of the meeting, Jordan Spieth, who replaced Rory McIlroy at the Tour Policy Board, refused to give any clear dates. 

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Accepting the credibility of the report, Spieth said, “I’m not sure that I can say much more other than we’re being encouraged to potentially meet with them.” Adam Scott, another member of the Tour policy board, admitted that a meeting is on the cards. “I would like to resolve this no matter what the outcome is. And we can all move on,” Scott said. Jimmy Walker, though, is doubtful that Jay Monahan can handle the merger properly.

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