Just one week after announcing a merger that shocked the sporting world, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has stepped back from running the organization on a day-to-day basis. Monahan informed the board he was “recuperating from a medical situation,” the PGA Tour announced in a brief press release. There was no indication about the severity of the condition or how long Monahan might be sidelined.
Ron Price, chief operating officer, and Tyler Dennis, executive vice president and president of the PGA Tour, will oversee the organization in Monahan’s absence.
The announcement comes amid growing criticism of the PGA Tour’s merger agreement with the Saudi-run LIV. The out-of-the-blue agreement came as a shock to golf fans and many of the sport’s top talents, including many who had rejected deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars out of loyalty to the PGA Tour.
It would probably even have come as a shock to Monahan himself a year ago. As Golf Digest noted, Monahan was scathing in his assessment of Saudi Arabia’s entry onto the golf scene and urged loyalty from pro golfers, a decision that cost them many millions of dollars altogether. At the RBC Canadian Open’s Sunday broadcast last year, Monahan was asked by CBS Sports about Saudi Arabia’s connections to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, “I think you’d have to be living under a rock to not know there are significant implications, and as it relates to the families of 9/11—I have two families that are close to me that lost loved ones. So, my heart goes out to them.” Then he played the loyalty card. “And I would ask any player that has left or any player that would ever consider leaving—have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?”
Members of Congress are also showing concerns. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D- Conn.), chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, on Monday, announced he had opened an inquiry into the deal, demanding information about how it came about and the business structure of the newly formed company.
The PGA Tour was previously under investigation by the Justice Department over potential antitrust violations in its battle with LIV. (All litigation between the two organizations ended with the merger agreement.)
Monahan has been a target of criticism since the deal was announced.
Scott Stallings, three-time PGA Tour winner, was asked by ESPN what his first question would be to Monahan when the deal was first announced. Stallings replied, “How many other sides of his mouth can he speak out of?”
Even Rory McIlroy, the world’s No. 3-ranked player and a long-time Monahan ally, showed signs of irritation.
“I said to Jay yesterday that you’ve galvanized everyone against something and that thing you’ve galvanized against, you’ve now partnered with… It’s hypocritical,” he said.
The PGA Tour said it would provide “further updates [on Monahan] as appropriate.”
For his part, Monahan sent a letter to U.S. lawmakers earlier this month, explaining in part why the merger was happening: “During this intense battle, we met with several Members of Congress and policy experts to discuss the PIF’s attempt to take over the game of golf in the United States, and suggested ways that Congress could support us in these efforts. While we are grateful for the written declarations of support we received from certain members, we were largely left on our own to fend off the attacks, ostensibly due to the United States’ complex geopolitical alliance with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Correction: This story has been updated to correct Monahan’s association. He is with the PGA Tour, which has been a separate entity from PGA of America since 1968.