Stars of the PGA Tour are said to have voiced their anger towards commissioner Jay Monahan following the news of a merger with LIV Golf.
Tuesday saw it announced that the PGA Tour, LIV Golf and the DP World Tour would unite to form a new for-profit company, yet to be given a new name. It came as a surprise to many connected with golf, including the players themselves.
Several players such as Collin Morikawa admitted that he first found out about the news of the merger through social media. And Rory McIlroy, who has been vocal with his support of the PGA Tour and criticism against LIV, admitted that he was in a similar position.
Monahan sent a letter to all PGA Tour members about the merger, which would end up going viral across social media and online. In the letter, Monahan stated that he would invite members to have a meeting at the Oakdale Country Club in Toronto ahead of the RBC Canadian Open.
A report in The Athletic has provided some insight into what happened during the meeting on Tuesday evening. It’s been claimed the atmosphere in the room was described as having “varying degrees of confusion and anger and sadness.”
Several players, including McIlroy as well as a host of others, rejected the chance to join LIV as well as the financial benefits it included, in order to remain loyal to the PGA Tour. The report states that a large portion of the anger seems to be on the suggestion that those who left to join LIV could be welcomed back – something that Monahan previously stated would not be happening.
It is claimed that players voiced their anger regarding that vow being broken, and Rory McIlroy echoed that suggestion when speaking to the press at the Canadian Open. "There still has to be actions," he said. "The people who left the PGA Tour... we can't just let them back in."
After the meeting Monahan spoke to reporters. When asked about those players who had expressed loyalty to the PGA Tour, Monahan said he felt they still made the right decision, despite the recent merger.
“It probably didn’t seem this way to them, but as I looked to our players, those players that have been loyal to the PGA Tour, I’m confident that the move that they’ve made the right decision,” said Monahan.
“They’ve helped rearchitect the future of the PGA Tour. They’ve moved us to a more pro-competitive model.”
Monahan added: “I recognize that people are going to call me a hypocrite. Anytime I said anything, I said it with the information that I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that's trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players.
“I accept those criticisms. But circumstances do change. I think that in looking at the big picture and looking at it this way, that's what got us to this point.”
McIlroy recently broke his silence on the PGA Tour/LIV Golf merger and said that he found out about it “like everyone else”. The Northern Irishman went on to say that his feelings towards LIV had not changed despite the merger.
“I learned about it pretty much at the same time everyone else did," he said, adding: “Yeah it was a surprise but I knew there had been discussion going on. I knew lines of communications were open.”
