Jay Monahan will return to his role as PGA Tour commissioner on Monday, July 17. Roughly a full month after it was announced Monahan was stepping away from his duties while “recovering from a medical situation,” he will resume his leadership position with the PGA Tour as its deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund begins to take shape.
“Thank you for your support and leadership these last few weeks,” Monahan wrote in a letter to the PGA Tour Policy Board. “I am happy to report that I am returning to my role as PGA Tour Commissioner effective July 17, 2023. I am deeply sorry that I haven’t been able to be with you during this time. The last two years have been grueling for us all. I experienced the toll personally in the days following the announcement of our framework agreement and encountered adverse impacts on my health. With the support of my family and thanks to the world class medical care, my health has improved drastically.”
Monahan’s absence came a week after a landmark yet controversial deal was struck between the PGA Tour and PIF to house commercial operations for a single professional golf entity under a new for-profit company. The two sides have only signed a framework agreement and still need to hash out the details, but litigation between the parties has subsided.
“Over the last several years, as we’ve confronted challenged that called the PGA Tour’s future into question, we have devoted every ounce of energy to securing a stable path forward for our organization,” Monahan continued. “With the framework agreement with the DP World Tour and PIF, we are on a path to accomplish this goal. Should we be able to reach a definitive agreement, we can rest assured that the PGA Tour will continue to lead and shape the game for the future. Beyond that, we will have the ability to invest in our players and communities like never before.”
Monahan, PIF governor Yasir al-Rumayyan and LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman have been invited to testify at a U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing on July 11: “The PGA-LIV Deal: Implications for the Future of Golf and Saudi Arabia’s Influence in the United States.”
All declined the invitation. Al-Rumayyan and Norman cited “scheduling conflicts,” while the PGA Tour will instead send COO Ron and Tour board member Jimmy Dunne, the person who has largely been credited with orchestrating the deal with the PIF.