PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan steps away to ‘recover from medical situation’
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has stepped away to ‘recover from a medical situation’
Under-fire PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has handed over day-to-day control to two of his top executives while he is “recovering from a medical situation”, the tour announced.
A joint statement from Monahan and the Tour’s policy board read: “The board fully supports Jay and appreciates everyone respecting his privacy.
“During Jay’s absence, Ron Price, chief operating officer, and Tyler Dennis, executive vice president & president, PGA Tour, will lead the day-to-day operations of the PGA Tour with the assistance of the great team Jay has built, ensuring seamless continuity.
“We will provide further updates as appropriate.”
Price and Dennis also released a statement which read: “Our thoughts are with Jay and his family during his absence, and we wish him a speedy recovery.
“We have a strong and experienced leadership team in place and our priority is to support our players and continue the work under way to further lead the PGA Tour and golf’s future.”
The news comes a week after the shock announcement that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour were merging their commercial operations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League.
Monahan faced calls to resign at a 75-minute players’ meeting which he described as “intense and certainly heated”.
The 53-year-old accepted that he will be labeled a “hypocrite” for making the deal with the PIF but insisted the players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour – and in some cases turned down enormous pay-outs to join LIV – had made the right decision.
“They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model,” Monahan said.
PGA Tour Commissioner Monahan explains why he didn’t consult with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy before announcing the merger with LIV Golf
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the US Open, Masters champion Jon Rahm admitted players felt “a bit of betrayal from management” after being kept in the dark about the deal.
The PGA Tour had earlier expressed confidence that it will be able to assure Congress it controls the new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.
Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.
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