Jay Monahan Defends Deal With Saudi PIF but ‘Regrets’ Rollout

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has been back to work for a couple of weeks now. But this week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, we heard from the commish for the first time since he took leave for about a month due to a “medical situation” before the U.S. Open in June. 

In a press conference on Wednesday, Monahan said that he still believes in the tentative deal among the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. However, he regrets the way it was sprung on his players and the rest of the golf world on June 6. 

🚨#ON TRACK 🤝: Jay Monahan says the PGA TOUR met with PIF officials last weekend and that both sides are on track to reach a definitive agreement by year end. The Commisioner says his only regret was keeping players in the dark: “I put players on their back foot.” Monahan says… pic.twitter.com/hwjbdZJZVP

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) August 9, 2023

Monahan said:

“My biggest regret was not being more patient on the night of June 5th. I think moving to make this announcement the next day, if I could do it over again, we don’t get do-overs in this sport, I would have flown up to [the RBC Canadian Open] and would have communicated directly to the players that day before anything was said publicly.”

While not directly addressing the reason for his leave, Monahan suggested that it was related to mental health. 

Jay Monahan met for the first time with reporters since time away due to anxiety and said the sport is going to be in ‘a very positive place’ by year’s end. https://t.co/6K2LTCO6ji

— SI Golf (@SI_Golf) August 9, 2023

Wednesday’s press conference came one day after Monahan met with players for the first time since he returned to his post. Multiple reports stated that only around 25 of the 70 men who entered this weekend’s tournament attended. 

“For those that I lost [trust] with, I’m determined to regain it. I see a clear path to doing that, as difficult as that may seem right now for some,” said Monahan.

In Tuesday’s meeting with players, Monahan said that the framework agreement included a provision that a deal had to be reached by Jan. 1, 2024 — a milestone that shouldn’t be considered automatic. 

“It’s a very real possibility [that the deadline isn’t met],” Tom Hoge said after the meeting. “There’s a lot of moving parts that have to come together for it.”

The PGA Tour Policy Board will have a big say on whether this deal happens. That group includes Tiger Woods and the last two FedEx Cup champions, Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay. 

Cover Image via Commercial Appeal