For almost 8,000 words and running just shy of an hour, Jay Monahan’s annual press conference ahead of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass was never going to be short, but the PGA Tour Commissioner didn’t waste much time in addressing the elephant in the room.
“I want to start this morning a little differently with an update on our negotiations with the Public Investment Fund at the outset. Here’s where we stand,” Monahan said before the floor had even been opened for questions.
“First, many of you know from your own reporting the talks are real, they’re substantial, and they’re being driven at the top levels of both organizations. Those talks have been significantly bolstered by President Trump’s willingness to serve as a facilitator. President Trump is a lifelong golf fan. He believes strongly in the game’s power and potential, and he has been exceedingly generous with his time and influence to help bring a deal together.
“He wants to see the game reunified. We want to see the game reunified. His involvement has made the prospect of reunification very real.
“When you’re in the midst of complex negotiations, particularly when you may be near a breakthrough, there are ebbs and flows in the discussion. The most important thing is the mutual respect that we’ve built over the last couple of years.
“We appreciate Yasir’s innovative vision, and we can see a future where we welcome him on to our board and work together to move the global game forward. As part of our negotiations, we believe there’s room to integrate important aspects of LIV Golf into the PGA Tour platform. We’re doing everything that we can to bring the two sides together.
“That said, we will not do so in a way that diminishes the strength of our platform or the very real momentum we have with our fans and our partners. So while we’ve removed some hurdles, others remain. But like our fans, we still share the same sense of urgency to get to a resolution.
“Our team is fully committed to reunification. The only deal that we would regret is one that compromises the essence of what makes the game of golf and the PGA Tour so exceptional.”
What followed was not so enlightening as he repetitively answered questions by reiterating that he’d said all he was willing to say about the PGA Tour’s position, but did offer up a couple of interesting nuggets, one of which was to suggest that the feedback gained from the PGA Tour Fan Forward programme made it clear that having the best players in the world competing together on a more regular basis was top of the requirement list.
Another nugget, whether intentionally or unintentionally divulged, came following a question about what were the potential issues that could diminish the tour.
“Listen, all I can speak to is, you know, if you look at the PGA Tour today and the strength of our organization, the momentum that we have as an organization and what we stand for, I mean ultimately if you’re a player anywhere in the world, this is the platform that you want to get to.
“These tournaments are 72-hole stroke play tournaments at historic, iconic venues,” he said, before adding: “So that’s at the center of the way that we think about what our fans want and what our players want, and that’s obviously a very important consideration in our discussions, which is why I’ve mentioned that today.”
LIV events, of course, are 54 holes and the implication is that any reunification deal will be contingent on tournaments being run over four rounds.
Monahan also suggested that LIV’s arrival as a rival had forced the PGA Tour into action and had acted as a galvanising force and this, he claims, has made the PGA Tour stronger for it.
“Over the last three years, it’s undeniable that the PGA Tour has been pressure tested like never before. External forces created an environment where we had to speed up where we always needed and wanted to go,” he said.
“But it’s the internal forces, and by that I’m talking about our players, that allowed us to take extraordinary steps to embrace the challenge and reimagine the future of the PGA Tour and the game. The level of commitment and engagement from our players, not just as part of the change but as developers and leaders of the change, has made all the difference.
“Bottom line, we’re better for it. Disruption has generated momentum, growth and real action. We have seen that momentum on television, online, at our tournaments, and with our partners. Viewership is up across the board, with our peak network television audience reaching approximately four million for the final rounds.”
This peaked the interest of Phil Mickelson, among others. Mickelson’s refrain ever since his controversial comments to unauthorised biographer Alan Shipnuck were made public is that joining LIV was an attempt to force the PGA Tour into action, and he replied to a post on X containing Monahan’s “momentum, growth and real action” quote with a single word – “interesting”.
Once again, we’re left with more questions than answers. No timeline, no blueprint, no details, and no real idea of whether any sort of deal will be reached.
But what’s new?
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