PGA Tour Commissioner Monahan Meets With Players With Low Attendance, Few Details on Saudi Deal

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan had his first assembly with gamers Tuesday afternoon since his return to work, providing few particulars on the shock settlement with the Saudi backer of LIV Golf that two gamers stated nonetheless contain a number of shifting components.

The assembly was missing in particulars and attendance, with solely 25 gamers attending within the clubhouse on the TPC Southwind.

Rory McIlroy returned from a exercise — his shirt was drenched in sweat — and walked into the clubhouse a couple of minutes earlier than it ended. Patrick Cantlay additionally didn’t attend. Each are PGA Tour board members and have had been on earlier calls.

Monahan had what he described as an intense assembly on June 6 in Canada, the day gamers found he had negotiated an settlement with the Public Funding Fund with solely two board members concerned. The settlement led to rapid dismissal of all lawsuits.

Per week later, Monahan took a depart for a medical scenario. He returned July 17.

“There’s nonetheless an entire lot that nobody actually is aware of, and we don’t know,” Rickie Fowler stated. “It’s simply persevering with to belief that management and everyone seems to be doing what’s greatest for all of us and the tour shifting ahead. A few of that was talked about in calls earlier than this. There actually wasn’t that many guys within the assembly, or lower than I assumed there would have been.”

Tom Hoge stated it was his ninth yr going to participant conferences and “not rather a lot comes from it.”

“It was good simply to have Jay there in entrance of us, see him once more and see that he’s doing properly,” he stated. “Who is aware of what the trail goes ahead? I’ll guess we’ll simply wait and see.”

When requested if there a sense the deal may not get performed, Hoge described that as a “very actual risk.”

“There’s a whole lot of shifting components which have to come back collectively for it,” Hoge stated.

The framework settlement requires a deal to be finalized by Dec. 31, although either side can agree to increase discussions.

Among the many proposals is for Monahan to be CEO of a brand new for-profit firm during which PIF, the PGA Tour and European tour pool industrial enterprise and rights. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor, could be chairman of the brand new firm. He additionally would be part of the PGA Tour board.

Monahan final week responded to calls for from 41 gamers that gamers on the board can approve or decline any potential modifications to the tour as a part of the Saudi settlement, and that no main selections may be made with out involvement and approval of gamers on the board.

Tiger Woods joined the board, giving the gamers six votes, in comparison with 4 votes a yr in the past.

Fowler stated questions included what would occur if the deal wasn’t finalized, whether or not different buyers have been and the way sustainable the tour was.

“There are a whole lot of components which have to come back collectively,” he stated. “You clearly should get a majority, if not unanimous, so far as board and participant help. Sure, there are a whole lot of issues which have to come back collectively for this to occur, and I might say that you simply’d should promote everybody on that that is the most suitable choice for the tour, for the gamers, for everybody shifting ahead. I’m not saying that’s not doable.”

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