MEMPHIS, Tenn. – PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will have at least two allies in the Oaks Room at TPC Southwind Tuesday afternoon when he meets with players at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.
In his first official player meeting since taking a leave because of a medical situation in June, Monahan is sure to take heat from the membership on a variety of topics – including the framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia and next year’s schedule, which was announced Monday.
Since the commissioner took his leave, there has been speculation that he might not be able to keep his job amid growing player discontent over the agreement with the PIF, but on Tuesday, Monahan was given a vote of confidence from world No. 3 Jon Rahm.
“He should have the opportunity right now to finish this off the way he did,” Rahm said. “We’re quickly forgetting how well he managed a lot of things. He did an amazing job in COVID and kept a lot of people employed.
Full-field scores from FedEx St. Jude Championship
“We were the first major sport to come back. A lot of players were able to earn their cards and keep competing thanks to that. I think we shouldn’t forget that that quickly. Again, we should give him the chance to see this through.”
Brian Harman echoed those sentiments, calling Monahan a “very qualified leader” and pushing back on the narrative that he and two policy board members, Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy, should not have negotiated the framework agreement secretly.
“I believe that Jay had ultimate authority at all times as far as negotiating and stuff like that, and he knew that his reputation was going to take a major hit if they went forward [with the agreement],” Harman said. “My question would just be, why didn’t he stop it, knowing that his reputation was going to take a hit? Why did he let it continue? In my mind, I think he believed that it was the best thing going forward, and that’s why he did it.”
Monahan returned to work in early July and attended last week’s Wyndham Championship, but this is the first player meeting he’s attended since the RBC Canadian Open following the announcement of the framework agreement.