Commish Monahan Pledges Tour Return To Miami, Shorter Playoffs
New PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan sat down with Golf Channel's Rich Lerner at Kapalua, with part one of their chat airing on Monday's Golf Central (part two is set for Tuesday's Morning Drive).
He touches on slow play at the 7 minute mark and the answer isn't encouraging given that he cites the tour's ability to sign off on time for television as a sign that things are okay.
But of more immediate note were remarks on trying to return to the Miami market, but probably not to the president-elect's Trump Doral.
“Like any relationship, we’re committed to finding a way to get back there.”
Monahan said the Tour continues to seek a new sponsor for the Miami stop, which has been a Tour stable since 1962, and that it’s “highly likely” that the circuit would return to South Florida.
But at Trump Doral? Monahan was not that specific.
As for the impact Trump’s presidency...
“We see president-elect Trump as being probably the best golfer to ever sit in office and probably the most golf knowledgeable,” he said. “For the game, that’s a tremendous thing.”
Best golfer to ever sit in the White House? They say the president from Massachusetts was pretty good.
He seemed to lower expectations for a potential PGA Tour schedule ending by Labor Day, but did confirm that if the PGA of America moves its championship to May and all other dominos fall, that the playoffs will be shortened by one tournament.
Monahan said no decisions on possible changes have been made and that the other players in the mix, most notably the PGA of America which would give up its spot as the year’s last major, would need to see the value of a possible makeover.
“It’s not as though we’re going to say this is the schedule, everyone has to adapt,” he said. “Our responsibility is to work very closely with the PGA of America and it’s got to work for everybody.”
Another piece of those changes would likely be a reduction of the number of FedEx Cup Playoff events, from four to three, and Monahan confirmed postseason contraction is a consideration. “If we were to execute the schedule that I just mentioned I think it’s likely,” he said.
Based on sponsorship contracts, that would likely mean the end of the Boston stop, leaving New York and Chicago/Midwest as the two "playoff" events.
Part one here:
Monday, January 9, 2017 at 10:24 PM 26 Comments | in Jay Monahan, PGA Tour, PGA of America, Slow Play
Reader Comments (26)
Happy New Year.
What I'd like to know is how the PGAT , a ''''non profit'', can offer an online golf booking service like Golf Now. It seems like Finchem went over the line with this, and now the new kid on the block has to answer to the IRS I HOPE.
Only one word for the ''service''~~ GREED.
Please address this if/when you get the opportunity to question the commissar , oops , commish.
As always., keep up the good work.
dig
If the Tour returns to Miami but not to Trump Doral, any guesses on what other course(s) they might be considering?
The PGA Tour and golf in general has always promoted themselves as a "clean sport." It may be cleaner than football and baseball but it reflects the rest of our society which has serious substance abuse problems. The fact that Finchem looked the other way when Tiger Woods was juicing so everyone could get rich including Finchem renders this policy meaningless. No one has ever adequately questioned what Dr Anthony Galea, an unlicensed doctor and PED promoter, was doing in Woods house in Orlando.
I have no idea how golfnow is structured within the umbrella of the PGA Tour's organization, but it is certainly legal for a non profit entity to have a subsidiary that operates as a for-profit entity. The subsidiary in this case would be fully taxable at the entity level, while any dividends and distributions that it makes up to the parent (which would be post tax) non-profit would be exempt from taxes (as passive income to the parent). Are there games that can be played so that nobody pays any taxes ? I am sure there are, but in theory anyway, it could pass muster with the IRS.
Does West Palm Beach count as "south Florida"? If so, that's the only place where some real options open up.
Better to move the Greensboro event to the fall.
I don't think that is run by TW foundation at this point. I believe the Tour is now running it. Just seems to me that the Tour needs to stay in strong markets and Boston is as strong as it gets for golf and sports in general.
He certainly refused to give ANY ground on the issue of slow play.
Whingers may as well not ever bring that subject up again, nothing changing, ever.
nOT GOLFNOW AS THEIR ...damn- sorry.. as their ''company- they have a cmpetitor of golf now, unless I was wrong about the TV ad.
Sorry if so- not up to speed.
Cheers-
He was well spoken and not budging on the slow play questions....thhhhhttttt on that!