Don’t expect deal with LIV for years, says PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan
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PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan speaking to the media during a press conference ahead of the John Deere Classic on July 3.
PHOTO: AFP
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MEMPHIS – When PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan spoke with reporters in Memphis, Tennesse on Aug 14, it was perhaps his most brief statement that carried the most weight.
“I think that’s fair.”
That was Monahan’s reply when asked if it is safe to assume that the Tour will not be partnering LIV Golf, which was launched in 2022, for at least the next three seasons.
He held court with the media on the eve of the St Jude Championship, the first of the three-event FedExCup play-offs, which is being contested at TPC Southwind.
Earlier in the day, the Tour released the 2025 regular-season schedule, which featured minimal changes relative to this season’s schedule.
As Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) lured more and more players to its LIV Golf circuit with lucrative contracts, the PGA Tour last summer developed the Strategic Sports Group (SSG), a group of American sports team owners that would invest in PGA Tour golf and in turn pay players based on their performance while allowing the players to become equity holders in the Tour.
In January, the SSG made a US$1.5 billion (S$1.98 billion) investment to become minority owners of the PGA Tour. On Aug 12, the Tour announced that Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world, earned an US$8 million bonus for his performance this season – the most of any golfer on the Tour. Xander Schauffele finished second and received US$6 million.
“When you think about where we were (before the SSG), engagement among our players, our partners, our fans, our investors, I think is really, really high and really strong. There’s tremendous momentum,” Monahan said on Aug 14.
The PGA Tour and PIF most recently met in June to discuss a potential future partnership but gave no indication that a deal was close.
Also on Aug 14, Monahan addressed the issue of increased player input in terms of running the Tour, now that the SSG gives them a stake in the organisation.
“As it relates to the business, now that we have formed PGA Tour Enterprises (the for-profit entity established to allow the SSG to become a Tour partner), you have that structure for innovation,” Monahan said.
“We’re driving forward a lot of those innovations, and our players are providing valuable and needed input,” he continued.
Monahan and chief competitions officer Tyler Dennis also spoke about the finish to last weekend’s Wyndham Championship. Veteran Matt Kuchar, sitting 212 yards from the 18th pin with daylight running out at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Aug 11, opted to stop playing and finish his round on Aug 12.
He finished the hole as the only player on the course. The rest of the field had opted to finish their rounds on Aug 11.
“Matt had every right to do exactly what he did,” Monahan said. “There are so many unique circumstances that come up on the PGA Tour, and that was one of them.”
Dennis added: “The officials basically have a standard operating procedure that right around sunset they will indicate that we’re going to suspend play. (On Aug 11, there was) effectively one group left, the guys in front of them were almost done. I think Matt teed off a couple groups before sunset, and our head official notified the group that they were able to continue or stop if they needed to.”
“We just want to apply the rules in the same manner each week, and that’s what happened,” he added. REUTERS
