Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Paul Higham

Jay Monahan 'Had The Right Answers' In Encouraging Player Meeting

Monahan chats to the media at The Players Championship

Kevin Streelman was on the Player Advisory Council call with Jay Monahan - and says the returning PGA Tour commissioner "had the right answers" in an honest exchange of views.

Monahan has some serious work to do to earn the trust back that he's lost by shaking hands on a deal with the Saudi PIF without any of the players on the Tour knowing anything.

The playing membership feel left out and are now keen to get involved in decision-making going forward as the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LIV Golf and PIF move forward. 

Streelman says the players requested the meeting with Monahan, where the commissioner admitted he didn't handle the PIF merger correctly, but apparently displayed a lot of honesty. 

"I was in the Pro-Am, I had my Air Pods in and was - I was on the PAC call with Jay," said Streelman.

"I thought it went really well, to be honest. It was our request and he obliged that we get all the other executives off the phone and just kind of talk man to man and just needed some honesty, which he did.

"He told us what happened with his health, and he told us what's happened behind the scenes. He admitted the rollout wasn't done the way it should have been and we should have been involved. That's what we needed to hear."

Streelman added that players on the PAC take their positions seriously, and in particular they felt left in the dark when the PGA Tour did the PIF deal without any input.

"We take our roles as PAC and advisors and board members, we do them for free, we do them because we love the Tour and we love the game. When things go on behind our backs, it just kind of hurts our feelings a little bit, hurts probably our egos a little bit because we care so much.

"So that was my biggest problem with all this that went on is we just didn't feel we were part of the team, we didn't feel we were listened to, we didn't feel something that drastically affects us, our families and our sponsors and legacies and our future, and just we care."

PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan and PIF boss Yasir Al-Rumayyan (Image credit: Getty Images)

It seems Monahan hit the right note with the players when explaining his actions, and his memo released earlier in the week made various mentions of players being more involved in the future.

Streelman says it was an encouraging start and hopes players can now play a part in creating the future of men's professional golf.

"So the fact is it's a reality and hopefully it comes to a great settlement and that it's great for the game of golf and it's great for the future and it's great for kids and it's great for our sponsors. It's all we can hope for," he added.

"I was encouraged with the meeting. I texted Jay this morning and told him the same thing. I think we got a lot of our animosities and our words out last night, and he had the right answers and I think we can all move on and try and make something good work."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.