Jay Monahan sat down for a solid exchange of many questions and gave pretty frank answers as the 2022 Players week begins. It’s fascinating to ponder what might have happened had he taken the tough tone toward disruptors sooner. Now that things have unraveled thanks to Phil Mickelson and other players committing to the PGA Tour, Monahan made clear the PGA Tour is moving on.
Before I make some additional comments on THE PLAYERS Championship, I wanted to take a moment to address all of the news, discourse and conjecture lately about the world of professional golf.
I'd like to emphatically reiterate what I told our players at our mandatory player meeting two weeks ago at the Honda Classic.
The PGA TOUR is moving on. We have too much momentum and too much to accomplish to be consistently distracted by rumors of other golf leagues and their attempts to disrupt our players, our partners, and most importantly our fans from enjoying the TOUR and the game we all love so much.
I am grateful for the strong support our top players have shown recently and publicly, and I'm extremely proud that we've turned the conversation around to focus on what we do best: Delivering world-class golf tournaments with the best players to the best fans, all while positively impacting the communities in which we play. We are and we always will be focused on legacy, not leverage.
You saw it a few weeks back with Joaquin Neimann winning the Genesis Invitational, a historic venue in Riviera Country Club, huge crowds following his every move and Joaquin receiving the trophy from tournament host Tiger Woods, the player who literally inspired him to take up the game. Those are personal moments that cannot be replicated at any price.
History shows that the PGA TOUR is bigger than any one player. Arnold and Jack both expressed that thought throughout their careers, and Tiger echoed that very sentiment in December and at the Genesis Invitational when he said, the PGA TOUR will always be his home.
So there is no better place than at the home of the PGA TOUR to reiterate our focus and promise to our fans and our players. Let's move on.
Well okay then.
He offered these remarks on the Ukraine situation:
Before I open things up for questions, I did want to take a moment to realize what's happening overseas right now in Ukraine. Our hearts go out to the people of Ukraine and those caught in the crosshairs of the conflict. We hope for an end to the senseless violence and a peaceful resolution.
I believe Jon Rahm shared some thoughts with you already in his press conference about our Golfers For Ukraine effort. The PGA TOUR is proud to join this industry-wise initiative to provide financial support and awareness for the crisis.
At golfersforukraine.com the industry is collecting donations for UNICEF, a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and development aid to children impacted by this crisis. The PGA TOUR and many others have already made donations, and we are encouraging support from the broader golf ecosystem.
Here at THE PLAYERS, ribbons in the colors of the Ukrainian flag have been made available to players, caddies and staff. Thank you for shining a light on this effort through your media outlets as you see fit.
He chose he words carefully and strangely on the notion of a team element reportedly under consideration.
Q. When that player and investor group approached you in the fall about a streamlined team type series that essentially would have nixed the Saudi threat or infringement or whatever you want to call it, what were your impressions of that idea, and why did the TOUR nix it? And just as a follow, do you see down the line the TOUR incorporating some team events into your schedule?
JAY MONAHAN: I always act in the best interests of the PGA TOUR, and in that instance and in many instances there are proposals that come our way that just don't make sense. That was one of them.
As it relates to how we move forward and whether or not we're going to incorporate team events, we have a team event in the Zurich Classic of New Orleans. The two greatest franchises in team events are Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup. And as an organization, we're going to continue to challenge ourselves to make certain that we're evolving and developing our product to the benefit of our players, our fans and all of our constituents.
Evolving and developing leaves the door open for a franchise-driven team concept, which seems inevitable at some point (and don’t we have it with certain sponsors and de facto appearance fees?).
Sounds like the World Golf Hall of Fame is just about done:
Q. Can you comment about the future of the Hall of Fame in its current state as far as the museum, Hall of Fame? Now, I understand with COVID that most, if not all, museums have struggled regardless of what they're displaying, golf artifacts or works of art. But as far as where it is in St. Augustine and moving forward, can the TOUR or the World Golf Foundation commit to any great extent that it's going to be at that site for a certain amount of time going forward?
JAY MONAHAN: We're excited about our induction ceremony tomorrow night. We're committed to the World Golf Hall of Fame through 2023. We're looking at all of our options as we go forward. We're fortunate to have been in St. Augustine for 25 years and are proud of the presence that we've created there, but to your point, the business of the Hall of Fame and the way that people consume Hall of Fames has changed, and we just want to make certain that any decision that we make about the next 25 years maximizes our ability to showcase the incredible careers and impact that every single member that's in the Hall of Fame has had on our game.
As for Phil Mickelson, the total package of questions seem to suggest he’s been given time off until he apologizes, but we’ll never know. Happy reading between the lines…
Q. Jay, you spoke in your opening remarks about wanting to move on from the controversy that no player is bigger than the TOUR. Could you at least -- from Phil's perspective, can you give me your take on how long you think this is going to last? Will this quickly be moved aside? Obviously it's going to be incumbent on Phil to bring the forgiveness that's necessary so that you can truly move on?
JAY MONAHAN: Yeah, I think that as it relates to Phil, you said it; the ball is in his court. He has said that he's stepping away and he wants time for reflection. That's something that I and we are going to respect and honor.
When he's ready to come back to the PGA TOUR, we're going to have that conversation. That's a conversation I look forward to.
And…
Q. Jay, have you spoken to Phil since all of this came out, and when he does return, does he need to do something first? Does he need to speak to you, or can he just show up at a tournament and tee it up again?
JAY MONAHAN: I have not talked to Phil since he made his comments and since he said that he was stepping away.
Like I said, I think the ball is in his court. I would welcome a phone call from him. But it's hard for me to talk about the different scenarios that could play out.
Listen, he's a player that's won 45 times on the PGA TOUR. He's had a Hall of Fame career. He's won here at THE PLAYERS Championship. He's inspired a lot of people and helped grow this Tour, his Tour.
So as difficult as it is to read some of the things that were said, ultimately a conversation will be had when he's ready to have it, and I will be ready to have it, as well.
Today in openly bigoted ageist talk on the same day we’ve seen historic ratings (and coveted demo) lows the last few weeks:
Q. The five leading players in the world are all under 30, and I believe I'm right in saying that this is the first time this has ever happened. What does that tell you about the current state of golf? What's your interpretation of that statistic?
JAY MONAHAN: Well, Andy Pazder would be proud of you because he opened up our Monday morning meeting with that statistic.
You know, I think it's a reflection just on the system at work. I mean, these young players are coming from all over the world at a young age, having success on the Korn Ferry TOUR and the PGA TOUR at a very early age, and that depth of talent, you talk about the top 5, you extend it past the top 5 into the top 30 and the top 50, the athleticism, the youth, the preparedness, the system is working, and it's arguably the most exciting time in the history of the PGA TOUR for that reason.
I think when we're over at our headquarter building tomorrow night and Tiger is being inducted into the Hall of Fame -- I mentioned my comments earlier about Joaquin -- I think a lot of that is reflected in what happened back in the late 90s and the early 2000s and throughout his career and the inspiration a great player, transcendent player like Tiger provided, and now you're seeing more players compete at a higher level at a younger age, and it's going to continue.
Every signal that you see would suggest that this is something that's here to stay, and that's pretty darned exciting.
Are people over 30 inferior? Oh right…Golf Desperation To Please Mystery Marketers Syndrome is very contagious. I keep forgetting!
Q. To follow up, Rory was just in here and said one of the things he'd like to see improved is transparency and he said specifically as it applied to disciplinary matters or even suspensions. Would you consider that, beyond the communication you have with players, would you consider making those things public?
JAY MONAHAN: He just said that?
Q. I can read you the quote, but one of the things -- he was asked to give you a report card, which was very good, by the way --
JAY MONAHAN: I would just say effective immediately, Rory McIlroy is suspended. (Laughter.)
No, listen, Rory is a member of our policy board. He's a player director. That's something that has been raised in the past, and if that's something that a member of our board feels strongly about, rest assured it's a conversation we'll have with our Player Advisory Council and ultimately our board. That's the way the system works.
It's a criticism that has been lobbied against the PGA TOUR through the years, and I think we always have to be open to evolving. That's something that we are open to.
Open to yes, but actionable (in PVB parlance)?
This got to the point…
Q. I wonder if I could address some things that have been said against you and against the TOUR. Phil accused the TOUR of "obnoxious greed," Greg Norman in his open letter to you said you had bullied and threatened players. Those are quite strong claims. How do you address them specifically?
JAY MONAHAN: I think people know me and they know how I play and how we operate and the values that we stand for, and I don't think there's any question that that's not how I operate. I haven't had a lot of people ask me about it because people know me. I'm right here.
More Phil…
JAY MONAHAN: Listen, I'm not going to comment -- we don't comment on disciplinary matters, and Phil has asked for some time to step away, and I'm not going to comment any further on that.
Q. From the time Phil's comments were published until five days later when he put out his statement saying he's going to take time away, did you ever feel like the ball would have been in your court to reach out to him?
JAY MONAHAN: No, I didn't.
Q. Why not?
JAY MONAHAN: I've had a lot of conversations with Phil, and my conversations with Phil will stay between the two of us. But I know the man well enough, and I've had enough conversations with him where that's not something that I thought at that point in time I should or needed to do. Certainly had my phone on.
He’s just searching for the right way to say sorry. In time.
Q. As much as you talk about moving forward, do you still consider this to be a threat, and is there any part of you that still looks over your shoulder?
JAY MONAHAN: I think I've said this before. I wake up every day assuming someone is trying to take my lunch. That's the way I operate. That's the way we operate as a team.
Yes we’ve noticed.
But we're here at THE PLAYERS Championship. The best players in the world have told you how they feel. I mentioned our partners firmly behind this Tour. I see the possibilities for what we are going to become and how we're going to evolve. I see the incredible working relationship we have with our players.
So long as we focus on the things that we control, which is what I've always tried to do and what we've always tried to do as a team, I think we're going to win, we're going to grow, and I'm not looking over my shoulder, I'm looking forward. I'm excited about what's ahead of me and what's ahead of this organization, and if you're a young player and you're aspiring to play on the PGA TOUR, what's in store for you in the future.