Jay Monahan has been brutally criticised by former US PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker for his handling of the LIV Golf merger situation while suggesting he has little respect for the commissioner.
Former US PGA Championship winner Jimmy Walker has launched a scathing attack on PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, regarding the ongoing discussions on a merger with LIV Golf.
Walker has not minced words when it comes to his feelings on Monahan and the PGA Tour in recent months, and once again was not too concerned in criticising the commissioner.
The PGA and LIV shocked the sporting world last summer when they announced that they had begun negotiating a deal to merge despite being bitter rivals – while many stars on the former tour had wanted nothing to do with the Saudi-backed league.
However, the PGA seemingly agreed a deal before consulting any of its players, much to the anger to the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods and Walker himself.
The 2016 major winner went a step further, though, now insinuating that he holds little respect for Monahan’s words before seemingly insulting his intelligence.
Speaking to Bunkered, Walked said: “I don’t pay much attention to what Jay says anymore. think he’s full of it. They’ve kept us in the dark and a lot of this has been handled extremely poorly. Do I have any faith in the Tour? I don’t know. I really don’t think we’ve got some of the best and brightest working on it.”
Earlier in the week, Monahan conducted an uncommon press briefing to affirm that the PGA Tour remains dedicated to establishing official connections with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF).
The first declaration was made nine months ago, and discussions have been progressing slowly, causing uncertainty surrounding the potential merger.
Monahan emphasized that negotiations for the deal should not be conducted in public.
He stated that he recently had a meeting with the governor of the PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and the negotiations are progressing quickly.
Although there are still some important issues that need to be resolved, both parties share a common goal of maximizing golf’s global potential.
“It will require some time, but I want to emphasize my previous statement made during the Tour Championship in August. I am optimistic about the future of the PGA Tour and the sport in general.
Above all, I believe that our loyal fans will benefit from this positive outcome.”
Monahan received harsh criticism for how he handled the announcement of the merger between the PGA and LIV, particularly angering McIlroy with the suggested agreement.
Monahan acknowledged that there are aspects of the past nine months that he wishes he had handled differently.
He mentioned that there are always things one would do differently when looking back.
He also confirmed that he has discussed this with the team players.
Monahan admitted that he could have handled the situation better last summer.
He stated that he has taken complete responsibility and accountability for his actions.
“We have progressed significantly since then and I have grown, learned, and become stronger as a leader. I am excited about the advancements we have made.”