Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love can drive as fast as they want in greater Jacksonville, can expect a ticker tape parade up PGA Tour Boulevard and permanent hugs from Commissioner Jay Monahan. That's because the Commish revealed to writers at Kapalua that the Jack and Davis were key players in squashing the Senate's recent tax bill efforts to rescind non-profit status for the PGA Tour.
After a funny bit about Monahan getting Nicklaus on his cell phone, there was this from Brian Wacker's Golf World account:
A week after having hip surgery in late November, Davis Love III went to Washington, D.C. as well, meeting with members of the Senate Finance Committee to lobby on the tour’s behalf.
“I said, ‘What can I do other than writing letters?’ I know so many senators and congressmen, I said I’d love to go up there and pitch our case,” said Love, who counts former senator Sam Nunn among his neighbors in Sea Island, Ga., and helps host the RSM Classic at Sea Island. “It was just helpful to get in some offices. [They] were extremely helpful and supportive and could see the impact that it has.”
Still not known, at least publicly, is the identity of the Republican Senator who initially inserted the language into the bill, and which legislator had the exemption salvaged. Something tells me that said lawmaker will get multiple invites to and lots of shoulder pats on April 25th's National Golf Day.
Either way, the tax structure was a part of the PGA Tour's charitable efforts in 2017, announced by Monahan during Sunday's Sentry TOC telecast.