PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan makes feelings clear on players rejecting Rory McIlroy return
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says the policy board’s decision to block Rory McIlroy’s return was not a reflection of the Northern Irishman’s “important influence”.
McIlroy was poised to rejoin the policy board, which he quit in November. Webb Simpson, one of six PGA Tour player directors announced last month he wanted to resign from his post on the condition that McIlroy be the one to replace him.
Four-time major champion McIlroy resigned from the policy board after feeling the toll of being the tour’s defacto spokesman in its rivalry with LIV Golf, quitting to focus on his game and his personal life. However, he was open to rejoining the policy board with merger negotiations with LIV’s backer, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), dragging on without a solution.
However, the 35-year-old was met with resistance from his peers. McIlroy said a “subset” of the player directors did not want him to return at this time without the standard election process. According to Golf Digest, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Patrick Cantlay were not keen for McIlroy to return to the policy board.
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After McIlroy spoke out on the issue at Wednesday’s press conference before the Wells Fargo Championship, Monahan released a statement on the situation.
“Today’s news is in no way a commentary on Rory’s important influence,” Monahan said. “It’s simply a matter of adherence to our governance process by which a Tour player becomes a board member.
“Webb remaining in his position as a member of the policy board and PGA Tour Enterprises board through the end of his term provides the continuity needed at this vital time.
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Jay Monahan has spoken out after Rory McIlroy was blocked from rejoining the PGA Tour Policy Board
“We are making progress in our negations with the PIF and are working as a collective – the player directors, our boards and tour management – to remain open-minded to all avenues that advance the tour in the best interest of our players, our partners and, most importantly, our fans.”
McIlroy said things got “complicated and messy” when he attempted to rejoin the policy board. He continued: “With the way it happened it opened up some wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before. And I think there was a subset of people on the board who were uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason.”
Adam Scott and Peter Malnati are the other player directors on the policy board, alongside, Woods, Spieth, Cantlay and Simpson. McIlroy will have to wait until the next post comes available to stand for election, with Jordan Spieth – who replaced McIlroy on the board after his resignation – coming to the end of his term at the end of this year.
The six players and the tour’s executives and directors who sit on the policy board are at the forefront of the negotiations with PIF. A framework agreement was agreed 11 months ago for the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF to merge, but the final details are yet to be ironed out.
In the meantime, the PGA Tour has struck a £2.4billion investment deal with Strategic Sports Group, with half of that money already doled out to players as part of an equity award scheme.