PGA Tour Commissioner steps down after ‘medical situation’
The PGA Tour said Tuesday night that Jay Monahan, its commissioner, was “recovering from a medical condition” and that two of his other executives would provisionally oversee the tour’s day-to-day operations.
The tour statement of four sentences came a week after Monahan, 53, announced the tour had reached a partnership deal with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, which funded the LIV Golf competition that has clashed with Monahan’s circuit for more than a year.
Monahan, the tour’s commissioner since 2017, was one of the lead negotiators during the secret talks, which led to a deal that caused a stir among players, outrage on Capitol Hill and the prospect that the Justice Department will try to block the settlement . He has spent the past few days drafting a response to a wave of backlash against the deal, including a session with players he called “heated,” a controversial press conference, a town hall meeting with tour employees in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., and a targeted letter to lawmakers in Washington.
The tour did not elaborate on Monahan’s condition, but said the board “fully supports Jay and appreciates that everyone respects their privacy.”
The tour gave no timeline for Monahan’s return, saying Ron Price, the circuit’s chief operating officer, and Tyler Dennis, the PGA Tour’s president, would take charge in the meantime.
Monahan has worked for the tour since 2008, with stints as chief operating officer, chief marketing officer and as executive director of the Players Championship. Under the deal that Monahan helped broker this spring after months of condemning the flow of Saudi money into men’s professional golf, the for-profit components of the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour will be brought into a new company.
Monahan is expected to become the CEO and Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Saudi wealth fund, is under consideration for the chairmanship. Monahan and his lieutenants have insisted that the company’s structure, which allows for extensive Saudi investment, will give the PGA Tour ultimate authority over the most elite levels of professional golf. But al-Rumayyan’s role and the potential for significant infusions of Saudi money have raised doubts about the scope of Monahan’s authority.
It’s not clear when the deal will be finalized, but the deal has been the subject of intense debate and skepticism among players at the US Open, which kicks off Thursday at the Los Angeles Country Club.