On the eve of the PGA Tour’s unofficial fifth main, The PLAYERS Championship, Rory McIlroy got here to the protection of Commissioner Jay Monahan.
Upon being requested if McIlroy thought Monahan was the appropriate man to steer the Tour, he took a wholistic strategy.
“Yeah, I feel so. You have a look at what Jay has completed since he took over. The media rights deal, navigating us via COVID, the strategic alliance with the DP World Tour. I might say creating PGA TOUR Enterprises, we had been simply capable of settle for a billion and a half {dollars} within the enterprise,” mentioned McIlroy.
“Folks can nit-pick and say he didn’t do that proper or didn’t do this proper, however for those who really step again and have a look at the larger image, I feel the PGA TOUR is in a far stronger place than when Jay took over.”
Photograph by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Photographs
This comes at some point after Xander Schauffele sounded off on Monahan, stating that he believes the Commissioner has a protracted solution to go to earn again his belief and that of many gamers.
“Belief is one thing that’s fairly tender, so phrases are phrases. In my e book, [Monahan has] a protracted solution to go to realize the belief of the membership,” Schauffele mentioned boldly.
Schauffele and various different gamers have spoken publicly about being left at the hours of darkness with the PGA Tour’s negotiations with the Saudi PIF. A lot of which had been shellshocked when the framework settlement was introduced on June 6, 2023.
McIlroy was certainly one of them.
However It’s been fairly the departure for the Northern Irishman not too long ago. He was beforehand the poster boy for the PGA Tour amid the break up with LIV Golf. However during the last couple of months, McIlroy’s opinions have modified drastically, calling for unity.
The PGA Tour not too long ago inked an funding take care of SSG, placing into query whether or not a take care of LIV will ever come to fruition. Solely time will inform how hits unbelievable chapter in golf historical past will play out.
Kendall Capps is the Senior Editor of SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. For extra golf protection, observe us @_PlayingThrough on all main social media platforms.
