Topline
The head of the PGA Tour will be off the job for an unspecified amount of time while he recovers from a medical situation in the wake of a controversial alliance that will combine the PGA Tour with the European DP World Tour and Saudi-backed LIV Golf League to create a new, unnamed entity.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan looks on during Day Four of the Genesis Scottish Open at The … [+]
Key Facts
Monahan, who has been PGA Tour commissioner since 2017, is recovering from an undisclosed medical issue and will be replaced in “day-to-day operations” by chief operating officer Ron Price and executive vice president and president Tyler Dennis, the PGA Tour Policy Board said.
The PGA Tour and Monahan specifically have been under fire in the wake of an announcement that the PGA will partner with LIV Golf, a move that comes after a year of warning PGA players to distance themselves from the league backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Monahan’s position has been called into question in the week since the announcement, with the deal facing criticism over concerns about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and the PGA’s support of 9/11 victims and their families.
Several PGA players have called for Monahan to step down as the tour’s boss, the Golf Channel reported, as he backtracks on his previous criticism of LIV Golf.
Crucial Quote
“I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite,” Monahan told reporters after the LIV merger announcement. “Anytime I said anything, I said it with the information that I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that’s trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players. I accept those criticisms. But circumstances do change. I think that in looking at the big picture and looking at it this way, that’s what got us to this point.”
Chief Critic
9/11 Families United. The organization representing families of Sept. 11 terrorist attack victims have slammed Monahan and the PGA Tour as “paid Saudi shills.”
Big Number
$1.5 billion. That’s the total revenue of the PGA in 2019. The same year, Monahan was paid $8.9 million, bumped to $14 million in 2020 and 2021, according to Golf Monthly.
Further Reading
Golfers In The Dark: Uncertainty Continues To Surround PGA Tour-LIV Merger (Forbes)
Merger With LVI Golf Threatens PGA Tour’s Image And Reputation (Forbes)
Jon Rahm says members of PGA Tour feel ‘betrayal’ after partnership with LIV Golf (CNN)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/maryroeloffs/2023/06/14/pga-tour-commissioner-jay-monahan-out-on-medical-leave-days-after-liv-deal/