The Feast and Famine of Jay Monahan pt3

 After taking the last couple of weeks away from his post as Commissioner Jay Monahan is back for this week's tournament, the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Monahan stepped away for health reasons stemming from what has come from the PGA vs LIV saga. The resulting anxiety and stress I would argue has been self-inflicted by Mr. Monahan. How did it come to this?

Despite Jay Monahan's early attempts to monetize value to the PGA in an attempt to curb players from leaving the Tour, as we all know now, LIV Golf took some top names, including all those players listed in part 2, including major champions, including former world number ones. With the backing of the PIF from Saudi Arabia, LIV seemingly has endless pockets and offered hundreds of millions in guaranteed dollars to golfers, and the PGA could not go toe to toe, soooo what did Monahan do? He circled the wagons.

As is well documented elsewhere the PGA banned players who left, sued LIV Golf, and has made ongoing efforts to ensure that world golf rankings do not apply to LIV golfers. Ryder Cup captains have lost their positions (Henrik Stenson), and it took a court order to allow golfers for either side who play on the LIV tour to play on the European or US teams. Both the PGA and LIV have sued one another, and the United States government has launched an investigation into the PGA's handling of the matter. This back and forth has taken place in media and in the courts since June 2022 when LIV had its inaugural event.

Within its framework, the PGA has a board occupied with current golfers and officials, chief among them Rory McIlroy who from the outset of LIV, made his opinion of the breakaway tour very well known. Week after week, tournament after tournament Rory took arrows from the media and LIV golfers and the CEO of LIV Greg Norman. Wholeheartedly Rory stood strong for the PGA Tour through all of this drama. In addition to media obligations and the stress of being the players' voice in all matters of controversy, McIlroy had to play golf. The week to week stress seems unimaginable. Yet McIroy stood up for the PGA and Jay Monahan. 

On June 6th, 2023 an earth-shattering press release broke the whole saga wide open. The PGA, European Tour, and LIV were to be restructured to form one entity funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. A far cry from the bitter fighting that had taken place the previous year. But who from the PGA was responsible for this? Players? The board?

Jay Monahan, without the knowledge of any player, structured the deal with LIV and the PIF. Rory McIlroy who spend 1 year week after week sticking up for Monahan and the PGA had no idea the agreement was even a possibility, let alone happening. Tiger Woods, a living legend of the game who has been the focal point of professional golf since 1997, did not know about this deal. If they did know, would players block the merger? Would they seek to replace Jay Monohan? None of this matters because the deal was done, and 1 man was responsible. The same player's first advocate, the circle the wagon's proponent, laid down before the PIF. 

Was this some kind of grand gesture to the future of the PGA and its players? I don't think so. I believe that Jay Monahan wants to be known. Name me any other PGA Commissioner over the last 40 years and I'll be quiet. You can't. But Jay Monahan has forced us to know him by name. He has decided that the top 10 golfers get more incentives and that the FedExCup Playoff field slims from 125 to 70 players. These moves make it harder for lesser known players to become more well known. It keeps the top on or near the top and then below them, there is everyone else. 

What will the future of golf look like? I have no idea how anyone, given the experience of the last 2 years in professional golf, could confidently surmise the future of professional golf. One thing I do know and have confidence in saying is that Jay Monohan will be there.