BLAINE, Minn. — Commissioner Jay Monahan dropped a bombshell Wednesday night when he sent a memo to PGA Tour members giving numerous updates on the state of the Tour.
Monahan talked about the framework agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, golf ball rollback, the Tour’s 2024 schedule and much more. It was his first major move since returning from an undisclosed health scare earlier this month.
Players at TPC Twin Cities for the 3M Open had numerous things to say about the memo, including one golfer who was on the Player Advisory Council phone call with Monahan earlier that Wednesday.
Here’s a look at what golfers think about Monahan’s memo.
Billy Horschel
“Listen, I’m very happy that Jay’s back. I think we all respect Jay and understand he’s done a tremendous job for the PGA Tour in his tenure as commissioner. I’m a massive fan of Jay. I know he cares a lot about the players, he cares a lot about this tour and sometimes that can get lost, people can forget about that.
“At the end of the day he wants to do what’s best for the players and the Tour. And that’s what he’s related to me since he’s come back. At the end of the day, being more transparent is what we all would like out here. Understand that they always can’t be transparent to the fullest effect because there’s just things you can’t, you know, tell us right away. Things aren’t done, deals aren’t done, framework, stuff like that is still in the early stages. So it’s a step in the right process for the guys out here who, you know, felt a little hurt by the way things went down.
“So kudos to Jay and to the PGA Tour to taking a step forward and trying to be more transparent going forward. Like I said, that’s what they’ve mentioned to us and that’s what they want to do. Obviously, they want to get our input because, at the end of the day, we are part of the Tour. I don’t think it’s a member-run organization, I’ve said that many times. I think it’s a member-input tour, but we’re a part of the Tour and they want to make sure that our voices are heard as well.”
Tony Finau
“Yeah, I would say the main thing is that the PGA Tour is taking a stand on the rollback of the golf ball. I think that that’s important, setting a precedent moving forward hopefully. You know, my opinion has always been that we should have our own rulebook on the PGA Tour and we should abide by those. Seeing that they’re taking a stand when it comes to rolling the ball back, I thought that that was one of the main things I got from the memo.”
Kevin Streelman
“I was on a PAC call about an hour and a half of my pro-am. Had to apologize to my pro-am partners because I had my earbuds in, Air Pods in listening to Jay. I think we were all very appreciative of him being open and honest about everything that’s transpired, his illness, his timing, the way it was all brought out.
“There was some apologies, there was some tough questions, but there were a lot of answers and I think we all appreciated that. It’s not a closed book, but I think a lot of us were able to put a few things behind us. It’s been heavy on us, to be honest. It’s been wearing for a lot of us who have been around, who have been on the PAC and been on the board, just because we care so much.
“Hopefully we kind of have direction going forward and we can come to a good agreement for the future of golf, most importantly, the fans and our sponsors and the future generations.”
More from Streelman: “We take our roles as PAC and advisors and board members, we do them for free, we do them because we love the Tour and we love the game. When things go on behind our backs, it just kind of hurts our feelings a little bit, hurts probably our egos a little bit because we care so much.
“So that was my biggest problem with all this that went on is we just didn’t feel we were part of the team, we didn’t feel we were listened to, we didn’t feel something that drastically affects us, our families and our sponsors and legacies and our future, and just we care. So the fact is it’s a reality and hopefully it comes to a great settlement and that it’s great for the game of golf and it’s great for the future and it’s great for kids and it’s great for our sponsors.
“It’s all we can hope for. I was encouraged with the meeting. I texted Jay and told him the same thing. I think we got a lot of our animosities and our words out last night, and he had the right answers and I think we can all move on and try and make something good work.”
Brandt Snedeker
“I didn’t really, I saw it come across my email this morning. I didn’t really read it yet, so I can’t give you a detailed response about it.”
