PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is recuperating from a “medical situation” and is stepping away from day-to-day operations as he recovers, Monahan and the PGA Tour Policy Board announced in a statement Tuesday night.
Tour president Tyler Dennis and chief operating officer Ron Price will lead the organization in Monahan’s absence, per the statement.
“The Board fully supports Jay and appreciates everyone respecting his privacy,” the statement read, adding, “We will provide further updates as appropriate.”
The news adds to an already eventful and tumultuous week for Monahan, 53.
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf rocked the golf world on June 6 when they announced an agreement to merge into a single, for-profit entity. The move caught much of the golf world off-guard, including the Tour players, who were not consulted before the deal was made.
When Monahan met with players behind closed doors following the announcement, many players directed their ire at Monahan, some reportedly calling for him to step down as commissioner.
On Monday, a U.S. Senate subcommittee sent letters Monahan and LIV commissioner Greg Norman asking to see documents, emails and other records having to do with merger as the subcommittee launched a probe into the deal involving the three tours and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV Golf.
That investigation opened days after Monahan sent a letter to the Senate, in part placing some of the blame for the merger at lawmakers’ feet.
“While we are grateful for the written declarations of support we received from certain (congressional) members,” the letter read, “we were largely left on our own to fend off the attacks, ostensibly due to the United States’ complex geopolitical alliance with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This left the very real prospect of another decade of expensive and distracting litigation and the PGA Tour’s long-term existence under threat.”
Monahan took over as Tour commissioner in January 2017, replacing Tim Finchem, who retired after 23 years at the post.
–Field Level Media