CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jay Monahan has by no means confronted a extra tumultuous time as PGA Tour commissioner.
Greater than two dozen PGA Tour members have defected to the LIV Golf circuit, which is being fronted by two-time Open Championship winner Greg Norman and funded by Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund.
The PGA Tour is presently going through a federal antitrust lawsuit from LIV Golf and three of its gamers alleging it illegally suspended them for competing in LIV Golf occasions and is utilizing its monopoly energy to squash competitors. The U.S. Division of Justice has additionally opened an investigation into allegations that the PGA Tour is a monopoly.
The PGA Tour responded to the risk by elevating its purses for 12 elevated occasions, which could have common purses of $20 million, to associate with the $25 million Gamers Championship. The tour’s high gamers have dedicated to play in 20 occasions beginning this season.
Monahan sat down with ESPN for an unique interview earlier than final week’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hole Membership.
Some gamers have stated that the tour and LIV want to return collectively. What’s your opinion?
Monahan: Nicely, I feel phrases and actions are necessary. I feel it is impractical while you take a look at the truth that sure gamers have sued the PGA Tour, their employer has sued the PGA Tour. It isn’t within the playing cards. It hasn’t been within the playing cards and it is not within the playing cards. I feel we have been fairly constant on that entrance.
Can the PGA Tour and LIV Golf coexist?
Monahan: I might present the identical reply. The reply to that’s they’ve gone down their path and I feel now we have been fairly constant that we’re taking place ours, and I do not see that taking place. Have not, and I do not.
The place do you see males’s skilled golf going from right here by way of the well being of the game?
Monahan: Nicely, I can converse to the PGA Tour and the modifications that we have made. You return during the last couple of years, and as we got here into ’22, we got here into a brand new rights cycle domestically. We had been in a brand new rights cycle internationally with nice media companions. And the best way our enterprise works, we generate our income from media rights, from sponsorships and from the best way that we activate in every market with our host organizations. And we have checked out our schedule, we have made structural modifications to our schedule.
We’re in an alliance with the DP World Tour, working extra intently than we ever have earlier than. I sit on the board of the DP World Tour. You take a look at the composition of our membership and the worldwide nature of our membership, I feel we’re simply going to proceed to lean into the modifications that we have made.
A few of these modifications being the elevated occasions, concentrating our schedule, making our product as sturdy as attainable, the platform that we offer to our members. And it is not nearly media, our tv distribution. You look as we speak at Fb, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram — on a weekly foundation, we’re producing over 100 million video views and guaranteeing that we’re persevering with to supply not solely the strongest aggressive platform, but additionally the strongest model platform for our gamers, given the values that we stand for as a corporation, the affect now we have. We’ll deal with what we management and simply maintain getting higher at it and stronger at it.
What did you make of LIV Golf CEO and commissioner Greg Norman’s latest go to to Capitol Hill?
Monahan: We have been going to Capitol Hill a number of instances a 12 months for nicely earlier than I bought to the PGA Tour, and I did not and I do not make a lot of it. If you happen to return to July 2, 1974, when the PGA Tour was granted [nonprofit] standing, it is one thing that we take nice pleasure in. If you happen to look again since that cut-off date, we have raised over $3.3 billion for charities, and now we have promoted the values of the sport, the aggressive spirit of the sport, and each constituency, each market right here throughout all of our excursions has benefited from that [nonprofit] standing. We really feel very strongly and we take very severely, that duty.
So anyone that desires to assault it, we’re very snug to inform our story and never solely our story as we speak, however the continued unbelievable work that we’ll do to learn folks and communities going ahead.
What are you telling gamers to steer them to stay with the PGA Tour?
Monahan: I deal with the place we’re and the place we’re going. And I deal with two issues: What your risk is from an revenue standpoint on the PGA Tour, [and] from a aggressive standpoint on the PGA Tour, as a result of finally what I inform somebody depends upon what their objective is. What do you need to accomplish? All the things begins with that. And then you definitely reply to it. To me, if you wish to obtain on the highest stage of the sport and also you need to win the most important championships within the recreation, then now we have an unbelievable story to inform on that entrance.
After which, you actually speak concerning the mannequin and make sure {that a} participant absolutely understands what it means to have your independence, to have the ability to choose and select your schedule, to have the ability to determine the businesses and the folks that you just need to companion with, and to consider how your life goes to evolve as a PGA Tour member.
You is perhaps a younger participant as we speak. You might get married sooner or later and have children, and as you turn into a famous person and as extra duty comes up, that is a extremely necessary factor to what it takes to attain on the very highest stage. That is one thing that has been a continuing on the PGA Tour and is a extremely necessary factor to success out right here.
I additionally am fast to say: Make sure that you just’re speaking to different folks. I am just one voice, and granted, I am honored to have the ability to lead this group, however I feel while you’re making selections like this, you could know with certainty what you are entering into. And so I try to present that certainty on our aspect and make sure that gamers perceive it as they consider something which may change.
What did you make of Tiger’s assembly in Wilmington, Delaware, earlier than the BMW Championship in August?
Monahan: It was Tiger and Rory’s assembly and nothing gave me extra pleasure as a result of we have been battling for a protracted time period right here, and that assembly was a fruits of plenty of discussions and exchanges of concepts over the previous a number of months. Once you take two icons of the sport they usually’re taking duty for bringing the fellows collectively and persevering with to consider methods to enhance the PGA Tour, make it stronger and make commitments which have by no means been made earlier than, it was a extremely necessary second in time. Individuals discuss 1968 [when the tour spun off into an organization for professional players], folks discuss when the PGA Tour was fashioned and folks discuss 1994 [when the PGA Tour rebuffed Norman’s plans for a breakaway World Golf Tour]. And I feel that was form of that second right here.
On the finish of the day for me, and I really feel like I am getting blue within the face on this, however the aggressive framework right here and the integrity of that’s so necessary. And that is what these gamers try to guard. And so to me, perceive, respecting historical past, respecting custom, honoring it on the similar time, determining how we are able to evolve in a method that really improves upon that’s the absolute proper method of going about issues. And to me, it is not like that was. … That was a part of a course of, nevertheless it was a extremely necessary a part of the method, if you understand what I imply.
How necessary has Tiger’s management been to the tour?
Monahan: It is extraordinarily necessary. I’ve stated that publicly and I will proceed to say it: You win 82 instances out right here, you win 15 main championships, you’re the host of the Genesis Invitational and also you take a look at his TGR Basis. You take a look at the truth that each participant out right here and you’ve got requested them the query, just about each participant out right here, and one of many causes they’re out right here is as a result of they idolized and checked out him. His on-course presence is matched by his voice or his off-course presence. And so, not solely do they take a look at him, I feel his friends take a look at him as a frontrunner, the chief on the golf course, but additionally a frontrunner off of it.
Once more, a extremely necessary voice. So it all the time has been actually necessary and it all the time will probably be. I imply, I feel you take a look at Mr. [Jack] Nicklaus is right here [at the Presidents Cup]. He’ll be on the primary tee for the Presidents Cup. He is captained 4 groups. He hosted the occasion in 2013, and Jack’s presence and his voice continues to be a extremely necessary a part of this recreation. When Tiger’s that age, it’s going to be the identical method. That is what’s distinctive about our sport.
I suppose the large a part of LIV has been the altering the sport, its newness. What are you able to guys do? I imply, aggressive golf is aggressive golf, however what are you able to do to make the fan expertise totally different or have new and thrilling issues for followers?
Monahan: To me, change comes from two standpoints. One’s the participant and one’s the fan. You and I’ve talked concerning the modifications that we’re making on the aggressive aspect of issues. We’ll proceed to lean into that. And to me, that advantages the fan as a result of figuring out originally of the 12 months the place the most effective gamers within the PGA Tour are going to play and figuring out that you’ll proceed to have extra stars, extra storylines, extra breakthroughs as we undergo what’s now a truncated season. I feel we’ll create even better curiosity, significantly while you take a look at the tentpole massive moments in our recreation. After which, you take a look at the presentation of our product.
We’re on ESPN+ now, 4,300 hours, greater than 50% of these people [watching] are beneath the age of 35. We’re investing in all of our platforms to assist construct the model and profile of our gamers. We’re making investments and we’re partnering in ideas like Tomorrow Golf [with Woods and McIlroy], that are definitely going to enchantment to a youthful viewers and are going to serve a platform for innovation that will probably be an enormous a part of what we do over the following 10 years. What we began with won’t be the place we find yourself. I feel you may see plenty of progress on that entrance. I feel you take a look at our alliance with the DP World Tour and you concentrate on the sport from a world foundation. We have been in a variety of markets exterior the U.S., as we reset the schedule.
Is there extra that we are able to do past what we have already accomplished? I feel final 12 months was a extremely good begin with the Genesis Scottish Open, the Barracuda, the Barbasol, gaming NFTs, First Tee. Getting extra younger folks into the sport and connecting them on a life cycle, creating extra range in our recreation. You take a look at the totality of the issues that we’re doing, that we have accomplished and that we’ll proceed to do, I feel that is going to result in us persevering with to succeed in a broader and youthful demographic.
Curiously, one of many issues that is being stated about us is that we attain an older demographic. We do, however we attain an older demographic by means of tv. And when you take a look at tv usually, during the last 20 years the overall inhabitants has aged a median of 10%. OK? So too has the PGA Tour viewers. You take a look at different sports activities, these audiences have aged better than 20%. So persevering with, the extra you broaden the pipes, the extra you are going to seize your complete spectrum, from the younger all the best way to the older demographic.
Why will the PGA Tour outlast LIV Golf?
Monahan: As a result of the sport, on the highest stage, is about aspiration. It is about context. And any younger child as we speak, any child that is going to be enjoying the sport going ahead, finally goes to need to win the most important championships, the most important tournaments, and put themselves able and on a path over the course of their golf journey to get to the PGA Tour and to once more, obtain on the highest stage. We’re going to proceed to evolve and get stronger in each single space of that spectrum or of that journey.
And the sport itself will proceed to evolve from an leisure standpoint, nevertheless it is not going to be solely about leisure. It may be about how do I obtain what Tiger Woods has achieved, or Jordan Spieth or Jon Rahm or Collin Morikawa or Patrick Cantlay or Xander Schauffele? I can go on and on and on. And the gamers which can be proper now within the Korn Ferry Tour, who’re going to be right here in two years, who’re going to be high 5 or high 10 on the planet.
I feel that is what this group has all the time stood for and has all the time tried to get stronger and higher at. After which I additionally suppose that there is an necessary factor right here of objective. And we talked about it earlier, however what’s your objective in enjoying the sport? What do you need to obtain? But additionally, the place do you need to align from a objective standpoint? And the world wants extra objective.
The PGA Tour is an unbelievable platform that does a lot good for each group the place we play. We go away it higher than we discovered it. We achieve this a lot good for therefore many individuals. We make investments again within the recreation by means of First Tee and different applications. And we see by means of partnerships just like the DP World Tour and thru an excellent stronger international presence and partnership with different excursions, as a system that is solely going to get stronger.
How are you going to make the Presidents Cup extra aggressive going ahead?
Monahan: We invested within the Junior Presidents Cup again in 2017. I used to be on the market on Tuesday, and the internationals had been three forward going into singles and the U.S. staff got here again and gained. However that was as shut because it might probably be and I feel that bodes very nicely for the way forward for the Presidents Cup itself.
And discuss thrilling, at 550,000 sq. toes to construct out [in Charlotte]. The closest factor that now we have is the Gamers Championship, which is over 400,000. You might have 40,000 folks a day. The occasions offered out [on] Friday, Saturday, Sunday. The staging to me is outstanding. We’re enjoying a golf course that I feel goes to create plenty of drama and pleasure. And you have extra worldwide followers coming in than we have had previously to help the occasion. I feel we’re on a extremely good path and a extremely good trajectory. The embrace that we’re getting and the curiosity that now we have on this property are extraordinarily sturdy and aggressive.
