Los Angeles, California | With the surprise of a midnight phone call, the news that broke Tuesday night that PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was dealing with a medical condition serious enough to have two of his assistants temporarily take over brought an emphatic human touch to a story that seemed to further fracture a sport divided. actually.
While that didn’t stop social media from seizing the moment for all the wrong reasons after word broke, Monahan’s undisclosed health issue seems like a sign that everyone should stop and take a deep breath.
Just breathe.
Regardless of whether you thought Monahan sold himself and the PGA Tour by agreeing to join for Saudi Arabia’s money or you believed he did what he believed was in the best interest of the PGA Tour, the anger, anger, and emotional uncertainty felt like wildfire.
It’s understandable, but it comes with an effect Monahan could feel.
Monahan, 53, deserves the time and privacy to deal with whatever puts him through. The fact that Ron Price and Tyler Dennis will be taking over as commissioner for an indefinite amount of time suggests Monahan won’t be back at work next week.
The PGA Tour/Public Investment Fund agreement—there are still so many hurdles to cross that it feels written in dust rather than ink—is serious business. If that happens, it would fundamentally change the landscape of professional golf and introduce a group loathed by many in the ecosystem, not as an intruder but as an invited member.
She successfully withheld this US Open, at least in the lead-up to it, diluting the luster and brilliance that most things LA generated. It’ll be a blessing when play begins on Thursday, when players mow from the ankle-high turf around the greens at L.A. Country Club’s North Course and watch golf balls roll down the slopes toward the bogey.
Monahan has been demonized by some, including many players whose careers he directly affects. Out of necessity, the agreement was reached in secret with no input from players, including those tasked with representing the best interest of their peers.
On the one hand, they don’t like any deal with the Saudis for political, practical and personal reasons, and many have let Monahan know that in no uncertain terms.
It is a story that still seems closer to its beginning than its end. It’s about billions of dollars. It’s about control. It is about seeing, growing and expanding.
When Chesson Hadley – No. 291 in the world – said he should be rewarded financially for staying loyal to the PGA Tour, even though it’s fair to assume he’s never been at the top of LIV Golf’s recruiting list, it’s a testament to what Monahan was dealing with.
On the other hand, players don’t like staying in the dark and having a giant surprise pop up on them at the same time the world found out about it. The PGA Tour prides itself on being a player-run organization, but no player has ever been involved in deal-making.
For many, their trust in Monahan has been damaged and that must hurt.
“A lot of people feel a bit betrayed by the administration,” Jon Rahm said Tuesday, adding that he understands the need for secrecy.
There is an axiom that, in the absence of information, people will create their own narratives.
who continued to fan this fire. There has been a necessary lack of information surrounding this agreement largely because the details are still being worked out. Unless there is nothing to be said, there is nothing to be said.
Thus, there is speculation about what happens to the LIV, what happens to players who take the money and jump off the PGA Tour, what happens to players who turn down big money to stay where they are, what happens if the PIF wants a big say in how the tour works, what happens if.. .
“I think it’s come to a point where you want to believe in management, and I want to believe that’s the best thing for all of us, but that’s clearly not the consensus,” Ram said.
It is a story that still seems closer to its beginning than its end. It’s about billions of dollars. It’s about control. It is about seeing, growing and expanding. It is about accepting change and it is about whether the Saudi human rights record can be bypassed, which not many will do.
The Framework Convention has ignited the game like never before.
It’s time to take a breath.
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