PGA Tour players left in the dark over the secret merger with LIV Golf vented their fury at commissioner Jay Monahan in a heated 75-minute meeting at the Canadian Open on Tuesday night.
Rory McIlroy was among those stunned by the news, announced in a statement by the PGA Tour earlier in the day, which revealed an end to its legal wranglings with LIV, the Saudi-funded rebel tour.
Now the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the European DP World Tour will unite under one umbrella entity, yet to be named, with the PGA Tour taking majority control of a yet-to-be-formed board, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) taking exclusive investment rights to fund the game.
Many players turned down lucrative Saudi offers to stay loyal to the American tour, and they are furious after discovering the PGA’s sudden pivot to embrace LIV only through social media.
At a hastily convened meeting at Oakdale Golf and Country Club ahead of the Canadian Open, players let out “a lot of anger” in the direction of commissioner Monahan, US golfer Johnson Wagner told the Golf Channel. He said there was a standing ovation at the suggestion of appointing a new PGA Tour commissioner.
“I would describe the meeting as intense,” Monahan admitted afterwards. “Certainly heated.”
One aspect players were unhappy with was the revelation that LIV Golf defectors – many of whom signed multi-million pound contracts with the Saudi tour and were banished by the PGA as a result – would be allowed to return to the PGA Tour at some point in the near future. Monahan could not give details on exactly when this would be or how this delicate situation would be fairly handled.
One anonymous player told the Golf Channel: “Most of the players were very, very angry. The sentiment in the room was pretty somber, and Jay was definitely getting attacked. He handled it OK, but there were times where he could’ve been more accepting and put himself in our shoes more. He was like, ‘I’m doing this for the betterment of the Tour, guys, can’t you see this?’ And a lot of guys were like, ‘We don’t trust you!’”
Monahan was accused of hypocrisy, according to Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy, and afterwards the PGA chief accepted he would face criticism.
“I recognise everything I’ve said in the past in my past positions,” Monahan said. “I recognise that people are going to call me a hypocrite. Anytime I said anything I said it with the information I had in the moment.”
America’s Maverick McNealy led much of the inquisition while McIlroy, one of the most outspoken critics of LIV Golf, was reported to have been surprisingly quiet, bar a spiky exchange with fellow player Grayson Murray. But the world No 3 did lead a discussion among players after the meeting.
Wagner added that he had “gained respect” for Monahan. “He was taking it from every single angle. Players were mad, players are calling for resignation, and Jay sat there and took it like a champ.”
But not every player appeared at the meeting. Tommy Fleetwood was among those who skipped the showdown talks to work on his game.
