PGA commissioner Jay Monahan held his first meeting since returning from a temporary medical leave last month with PGA golfers earlier this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis, TN, where they expected him to provide more details on the recently announced merger with the LIV Golf Tour.
However, the meeting was not well attended, as only 25 players showed up, and those who were present left with more questions than answers.
“There’s still a whole lot that no one really knows, and we don’t know,” Rickie Fowler told The Associated Press. “It’s just continuing to trust that leadership and everyone is doing what’s best for all of us and the tour moving forward. Some of that was talked about in calls before this. There really wasn’t that many guys in the meeting, or less than I thought there would have been.”
Fowler, Tom Hoge, and Scottie Scheffler were among the players who attended the meeting, as was Rory McIlroy, who arrived late and did not stay long.
“I think the tour has got a long way to go. But it’s always nice having Jay back in person,” Scheffler told ESPN. “Guys when they want to can have face-to-face time with him, he’s always available. He’s doing the best that he can to make sure that he’s getting as much player input as possible.”
The PGA and LIV announced their merger on June 6, much to the shock of the golf and sports worlds, including the players of both leagues. Shortly after the announcement, Monahan decided to step away from his role, which he explained was because of anxiety caused by the reaction to the deal.
“I think the reality for me was that I was dealing with anxiety, which created physical and mental health issues and challenges for me,” Monahan told ESPN. “And I realized that I needed to step away and to deal with that and understand how to develop the skills to deal with that going forward. To step away at that point in time was very difficult for me, but I needed to take care of myself and my family, and ultimately come back here stronger than I’ve ever been to lead the PGA Tour forward.”
Monahan admits he made some mistakes while announcing the deal, mainly not keeping the players in the loop.
“I think anytime you have misinformation that can lead to mistrust, and that’s my responsibility,” he told ESPN. “It’s nobody else’s responsibility — that’s me and me alone. As I’ve said, I take full accountability for that. At the same time, I apologize for putting players on their back foot, but ultimately the move that we made is the right move for the PGA Tour. I firmly believe that. And as we go forward, time will bear that out.”
The deal involves an enhanced role for Monahan as the CEO of the new entity and would add additional board members. However, the agreement has yet to be finalized, and the companies face a December 31 deadline.
