Commissioner Monahan’s lies and untruths about the LIV. He flies his jet on PGA money

COMMENTARY – World golf is in a dark time of uncertainty. The most crucial question is whether we will ever again see the world’s best players walking the fairways together in a friendly atmosphere. With the arrival of the competitive LIV Golf series, there is no sign of that happening. Even some of the world’s top players are not eager to play together, but the most stubbornly standing between the PGA and the LIV is American head Jay Monahan.

Two irreconcilable worlds. Each has its own big plans, its own business, its own intentions. Each wants to be the best and the most famous in the world in their respective fields. And they each own a part of that world, in the form of the best professional golfers. Unsolvable? So far, it looks like absolutely.

While the PGA Tour has a rich, long history, LIV Golf is just beginning to write its memorable stories. Perhaps that’s part of the reason why Greg Norman, the head of the new rival venture, would like to find common ground with the traditional enterprise. As he says – it’s all about golf first and foremost.

But there are signs to the contrary. It’s all about money and business, whether anyone likes it or not. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is adamant that his is the best and, if possible, the only one under the sun. He has refused to work with the LIV since day one. So adamantly that even the other side has lost interest in any discussions.

Monahan is adamant. The question is whether he is more bothered about sharing his business or whether the fundamental problem is, as he says, the Saudi origin of the money that LIV Golf subsidises. Either way, among the statements he has made in recent weeks, we would find some that are hard to believe. Here are the crucial ones.

WE DON’T HAVE THE MONEY

The phrase that Monahan uttered a few months ago, when LIV Golf didn’t yet seem such a threat to the PGA, has matured nicely in recent weeks. When the LIV rolled out its generously subsidized tournament system, the PGA Tour boss declared that their enterprise was far from being able to compete financially with a competition that is subsidized by bottomless Saudi Arabian funds.

Only! A few months subsequently passed and suddenly it was a time when the PGA Tour, far from losing not only playing legend Phil Mickelson, lost a number of others who belong to a small circle of the very best in the world.

Dustin Johnson, for example, is still considered one of the absolute top players on the planet. Cameron Smith is in a similar position today. Then there is Bryson DeChambeau, Lee Westwoodd… After all, we could count a lot of famous names. These players are no longer active on the PGA circuit, which of course was taken care of by Jay Monahan.

The fundamental statement that the PGA couldn’t afford to pay its players any more than it used to, turned out to be one big lie. During the recent FedEx Cup playoffs, the PGA Tour announced that it would significantly increase its tournament subsidies starting next season.

In addition, they are going to set up a series of even better subsidised events, featuring the best players in the PGA Rankings. In addition to this, there is talk of an option where every player on the PGA Tour would be guaranteed a minimum of 500 thousand US dollars from 2023. This would be a kind of advance payment, which would then be deducted from the money won from the tournaments.

What a coincidence that the LIV came up with something similar here not long ago. Could anyone have imagined something like this at the PGA a few months back? Nonsense. Because it just wasn’t in the cards.

THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD AT THE PGA

“We have more assets at our disposal, stronger partnerships, and we have the best players in the world telling us that they are not only committed to playing more, but they are really looking at our organization to achieve all of this,” Golf Express quoted Monahan as saying a few days ago. That hasn’t been true for a long time either.

As it stands, it is absolutely unrealistic that the PGA Tour will ever again have all the best players in the world on its starting field. Already, several have fled. The LIV roster may be closed for 2023, but if there was a hot contender from the top ranks of the world rankings, I’m sure Greg Norman would open the door for him.

Not to mention that there is behind-the-scenes speculation about three more undisclosed names who are reportedly headed to LIV over the next year. The only thing that has been put out into the ether is that they are supposed to be top PGA players. So the best players in the world on the Amelia Tour? Last year, maybe. But certainly not this year, and certainly not sometime in the future if Monahan continues to lie to his fans while simultaneously cajoling them that the PGA is above it all.

With the exodus of the world’s extra players, a partial exodus of fans must also be accounted for. And if more and more players move to the LIV, the fans will start to move with them, along with the sponsors. When you’ve loved Phil Mickelson his entire career, it’s hard to lose interest in him just because he decided to accept a more lucrative offer where he’ll play less golf for more money.

Maybe a few individuals, but the crowd will always follow him on the course wherever he plays. If Monahan can afford to talk about solid partnerships today, it doesn’t mean he’ll be able to talk about them in a few years.

Then there are the lawsuits. Jay Monahan answers the topics often, since he is the captain of the PGA’s flagship course. He also said recently that some kind of joint say with LIV representatives is not possible because the whole situation is currently in a playground called “the courtroom.”

It kind of seems like he wants to blame the LIV management and players for getting the whole situation this far. But equally, he probably doesn’t realize that if he didn’t want to cannibalize the PGA Tour, he wouldn’t have to lose so many great players in the starting field and point out to others that they are the ones who want to destroy the traditional golf enterprise.

To top it off, it was recently revealed that Monahan flies his jet on PGA Tour money for private entertainment as well. It’s hard to say what will happen to world golf after the LIV high-fives some broadcaster who sends their innovative project out into the world beyond the YouTube channel.

And especially after Norman and co. manage to take LIV Golf where they want to take it. If Monahan will still claim that his venture is the one and only and the best in the world, and most importantly, if he’ll even still be sitting in his chair in the warm PGA office.

Source: PGA Tour, LIV Golf