Xander Schauffele hits back at Jay Monahan after PGA Tour commissioner’s comments
Jay Monahan is adamant about being the best person to lead the PGA Tour, but Xander Schauffele believes the commissioner still has plenty to prove to the membership
Xander Schauffele continues to lack trust in PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and believes that this sentiment is shared among the tour members. “Schauffele, aged 30, admitted to losing faith in Monahan last summer.
He mentioned that there was a division between management and the players following the agreement to merge LIV Golf with the PGA and DP World Tours through a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
The golfer also criticized the organization for its poor communication and lack of transparency, especially for announcing the deal without informing its members.”
Monahan had not made any public statements since the Tour Championship last year, but he hosted a press briefing on Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass before The Players Championship.
Despite previous calls for his resignation from players like Schauffele, the commissioner confidently affirmed his intention to remain in his position.
He acknowledged: “There are always things when you look back that you would do differently. Obviously, when you look back to last summer, I could have handled that better, and I’ve taken full responsibility and accountability for that. That’s on me.
But we’ve moved on, and we’ve made so much progress since that point in time, and I have learned from it. I’ve been humbled by it.
I think I’ve gotten stronger as a leader, and the progress that we have made since that point in time, I couldn’t be more excited about it.” He added: “There’s been a lot of good-spirited debate amongst our board.
“I don’t think that would be a surprise to anybody, you know, given the events of last summer. But we are a unified front.”
“I can’t generalize as it relates to players, but clearly given the responsibility I’ve been given by both boards, I have the support of our board, and I am the right person to lead us forward. I know that. I believe that in my heart, and I’m determined to do exactly that.”
“Schauffele is unsure of the membership’s trust in Monahan, despite the commissioner’s lengthy address.
The seven-time Tour winner expressed his skepticism, stating that trust is fragile and that Monahan still has much to prove.”
“In my opinion, he has potential but still needs to earn the trust of the members. I believe he is backed by the policy board who assisted him in making decisions, but personally, I think he has a lot of progress to make before gaining my trust.”
“Schauffele mentioned that he had not given much consideration to ways to ease the difficulties faced by all members when questioned about potential solutions for Monahan to address the issue.”
To be completely transparent, I admit that I am quite unaware,” he acknowledged. “I haven’t actively pursued a lot of information because whenever I have tried, I didn’t receive any.”
