PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan returns to work after a dealing with illness with plenty of items stacked up in his in-tray – with top of his to-do list being to make sure he keeps his job!
While everyone wishes Monahan well after his illness, he could not have left at a worse time as his departure came just after the shock announcement of a deal made with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).
Not long after shaking hands with PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Monahan had a room full of angry PGA Tour players firing questions at him – with some calling for him to resign.
Tempers have cooled slightly, but as more details of the framework agreement with the PIF have emerged, Monahan has still been missing and communication with players has not been what they have wanted.
So Monahan has plenty of work to do and it will not be a case of easing back into the job by any stretch.
Top of Jay Monahan’s to-do list – keep his job
Rory McIlroy backed Jay Monhan to keep his job but felt like he’d been a sacrificial lamb in the PIF deal
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Restoring trust between players and PGA Tour management is the biggest priority for Monahan as he returns to work – as if the tension grows it could well see him out of a job.
Players have continued to voice their frustration over the huge U-turn PGA Tour leaders performed when joining forces with the PIF.
Although he backed him, Rory McIlroy feels like a sacrificial lamb, while Jordan Spieth says the players feel like they’re being kept in the dark with a lack of communication over the details.
Xander Schauffele perhaps put it best when he said Monahan would have “a lot of tough questions to answer” when he returns with him among a number of players who had “a lot less” trust in the commissioner.
“The guy who was supposed to be there for us, wasn’t,” Schauffele put it bluntly.
“Obviously he had some health issues. I’m glad that he said he’s feeling much better. But yeah, I’d say he has a lot of tough questions to answer in his return.”
“He had my trust and he has a lot less of it now. So I don’t stand alone when I say that. He’ll just have to answer our questions when he comes back.”
With Hunter Mahan posting on social media that “players are done with him” Monahan looks like facing a frosty reception upon his return – and just how he deals with the angry PGA Tour membership could decide whether he keeps his job or not.
What will the final PGA Tour-PIF deal look like?
Yasir Al-Rumayyan (left) and PGA Tour commissioner…
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