While Jay Monahan Attracts Public Eye Due to $18M Revelation: How Is a PGA Tour Commissioner Appointed?

Jay Monahan holds one of the most prestigious jobs on the PGA Tour of America. Being the Commissioner of one of the oldest golf tours in the world is not an easy task at all. In the recent past, his actions have come under extreme fire after the announcement of the merger. However, the post does have its benefits.

In a recent piece of breaking news, it is revealed that Monahan got a hike of 5 million for his services by the Tour. As per the Tour’s IRS filings for 2022 which was obtained by Sportico, it was revealed that last year Monahan got $18.6 million which was much higher than his $13.9 million in 2021. The job entails positive as well as negative. So let’s learn how the selection for this crucial role is done.

Internal selection is made for the post of PGA Tour’s commissioner

Selection for the commissioner of the PGA Tour is done by the PGA Tour Policy Board. For ease, the board can be divided into two sets. First is the independent Directors. This has five members. First is Ed Herlihy who is the policy board chairman. Herlihy is also the Co-Chairman of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & and Katz. Next is Jimmy Dunne who is also an occasional commentator on CNBC and Bloomberg TV.

Other than being a PGA Tour board member Dunne is also the Vice Chairman and Senior Managing Principal at Piper Sandler. The next independent director is Mark Flaherty who has also served as the Vice Chairman of Wellington Management, LLP. Fourth is Joe Gorder who is the executive chairman of Valero and the fifth independent director is Mary Meeker who is also a partner at Bond Capital.

The second set is the Player’s Directors. In this set golfers who are elected as the board members constitute a good part of it and represent all the player’s interests. Currently, these golfers are Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth, and Tiger Woods.

Till last month Rory McIlroy was also a board policy member but he resigned from his post after he felt violated because of the sudden merger. The above names come together and make the important decision of whom to make the CEO. So far the Tour has witnessed four commissioners.

All the commissioners PGA Tour has had

Till now the Tour has seen the following CEOs. The first commissioner was Joe Dey who was asked to serve in the role. He continued in the position for 5 years till 1974 when it was picked by Deane Beman who took the reigns for 20 years. After him, Tim Fincham was chosen by the board and Fincam served for 22 years. As his retirement came closer Jay Monahan was chosen to replace him.

Also Read – Amid Persistent PGA Tour Sponsorship Troubles, Will the $3B PIF Framework Agreement Provide Succor for Jay Monahan?

At the time Monahan was Deputy Commissioner of the Tour, a role he assumed in 2014. And it is during this tenure that the golf world has seen some big changes. With the merger date coming closer Monahan has some important responsibilities on his shoulders.

Watch this story – The Management of a 250 Years Old Club Took a Bold Step Revealing the Unprecedented Hefty Prize Purse Compared to Previous Year’s $14M for Which Several PGA Pros Ditched the John Deere Classic