Jay Monahan asserts affirmation in his PGA Tour leadership - “I believe that in my heart"
Jay Monahan has been the subject of a ton of criticism from golfers, fans and more. The golf world has been turned on its head recently, and Monahan has done things that some believe are curious. His role in the surprise merger with PIF was one thing that he got called out for, but he is adamant that he's a good leader in the sport.
Monahan said via the Daily Mail:
"There's been a lot of good-spirited debate amongst our board. I don't think that would be a surprise to anybody, given the events of last summer."
He continued, saying that despite what it seems, golf is not disheveled. At least, it's not on the PGA Tour side:
"But we are a unified front. Our policy board continues to perform and function at a very high level, with great support of our player directors and the formation of PGA Tour enterprises with a new board. I am the right person to lead us forward. I know that. I believe that in my heart, and I'm determined to do exactly that."
Monahan has seen calls for resignation and his best players have spoken about how disappointed they were in how he handled things. There was a massive divide in the sport and the merger was supposed to help bridge that, but it left some players confused and hurt.
Jay Monahan believes PIF negotation is important for golf
Ultimately, the commissioner believes this is the best outcome for the sport. He is firm and resolute that PIF is important and that negotiating with them is what's in the best interest of the future of golf:
"Obviously, it has to be the right deal for both sides, like any situation or negotiation. The conversations with SSG, I think have enhanced the likelihood of us reaching a successful conclusion."
Jay Monahan added:
"When you bring in a group of investors on that consortium, that combined have over 200 years of managing professional sports franchises in the U.S. and internationally, and you bring in that level of expertise, I think that, you know, is attractive to the PIF."
Strategic Sports Group's investment plays a big role in all of this, but the future seems to almost certainly hold an agreement between PIF and the PGA Tour. What that means for LIV Golf remains to be seen, but things have been trending that way for a while.
In a press conference ahead of the PLAYERS Championship, Monahan confirmed that they're still negotiating, but that it would take time before they could reach an agreement. The framework was agreed to almost a year ago, and they've been working on it ever since.
The US Senate also got involved and reaching an actual agreement that is in the best interest of both tours has been easier said than done so far. They've missed a few deadlines that they tried to reach when negotiating but are committed to seeing this through.