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JAY MONAHAN

Mickelson arrives at Brookline and wild US Open week awaits

Luke Gannon is playing in his first U.S. Open and had one of those moments that made him realize this was a stage unlike any other the Kansan has played. Phil Mickelson was carrying only a wedge and a putter and waved him through. The Sunday before U.S. Open week is rarely more peaceful with only a few dozen players getting a look at the course, some caddies arriving ahead of their players to walk the course and check the yardages.

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PGA chief slams Saudi-funded league as series of exhibitions

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan described the Saudi-funded league that has signed up Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau as a “series of exhibition matches” that spends billions of dollars on players without getting a return on its investment. Monahan also said players paid an exorbitant amount of money would “have to be living under a rock” to not know they would be criticized for the source of the money. LIV Golf is backed by Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund.

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PGA Tour says Saudi-paid players no longer eligible for tour

Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and other PGA Tour members who teed off in the Saudi-funded golf league Thursday are no longer eligible for PGA Tour events under penalties Commissioner Jay Monahan shared soon after the first tee shot was struck. The ban includes participation in the Presidents Cup, which would involve the South African trio of Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace. The USGA already has said eligible players can still compete in the U.S. Open next week.

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PGA’s Jay Monahan: ‘Challenging moments,’ but optimistic about future

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Jay Monahan remembers it all too well. The PGA Tour commissioner made the call to cancel the final three rounds of The Players Championship and that made things painfully real. The return to TPC Sawgrass for The Players this week is a step, a small one, in a staggered return to normalcy. For Monahan, the Tour staff, the 154 golfers and small army of Players volunteers, it’s a very welcome return to the area. Ad“I think this is an important week for us every single year but particularly so this year,” Monahan said on Tuesday.

Column: Anniversary marks progress of pandemic, not the end

The PGA Tour went for most of nine months without fans and a year later is just now starting to get them back. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The backdrop was a navy blue board filled with 33 logos of The Players Championship. The tour has played 36 out of the 39 weeks since it returned, stopping only because of holidays, not an outbreak. Players received a text late at night after the first round saying that The Players Championship was canceled and there would be no tournaments for at least a month (it turned into three months). AdMonahan remembers missing the opening tee shot for the first time since he joined the PGA Tour as executive director of The Players Championship.

Golf without Woods? Battered leg brings it closer to reality

FILE - Tiger Woods watches his tee shot on the first hole during the first round of the PNC Championship golf tournament in Orlando, Fla., in this Dec. 19, 2020, file photo. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)The PGA Tour without Tiger Woods was always inevitable purely because of age. “Listen, when Tiger wants to talk about golf, we'll talk about golf,” Commissioner Jay Monahan said at the World Golf Championship in Florida. The timing was impeccable, for the PGA Tour negotiated a television contract that made prize money spike. At the World Golf Championship this week, first place alone is worth $1.82 million.

Fitzpatrick takes early lead as Riviera proves tough test

(AP Photo/Ryan Kang)LOS ANGELES – PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan looked across Riviera in the early stages of the Genesis Invitational on Thursday and purposely stated the obvious. Great players were on a great golf course, and the first round was shaping up to be a draw. Riviera was in mint condition, and being dry and firm made it tougher than it might have looked. 10, among the best short par 4s in America. He didn't feel much different at Riviera, which he has played for a decade from his time at UCLA.

PGA Tour hopeful for return of fans, pushing ahead without

FILE - PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan reacts to a question during a news conference at The Players Championship golf tournament in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., in this Friday, March 13, 2020, file photo. Monahan says tournaments next year are prepared to break even without the return of fans. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara, File)Amid hopes for the return of fans on the PGA Tour next year, Commissioner Jay Monahan says tournaments are prepared financially to do without and still break even on operating costs. Monahan said it was too early to determine how or when the vaccine would help with the full return of fans. “We still have a lot of interest in bringing a PGA Tour event to San Francisco,” Monahan said.

Champ speaks out on racial injustice with shoes and words

Then, with powerful words about a desire to find a solution to racial injustice. Champ is one of four players of Black heritage on the PGA Tour, and one of only two -- the other is Tiger Woods -- who reached the second of three events in the FedEx Cup postseason. When people say all lives matter, yes, all lives matter, but so do Black lives, Champ said. He had a gallery Thursday at an event with no specators, including PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan for the last few holes of his opening nine holes. The PGA Tour supports them and any of our own members standing up for issues they believe in, the statement said.

After months of preparing, PGA Tour calls return to competitive golf successful

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. The PGA Tour is calling its first tournament back a success. Its been just over three months since the PGA Tour canceled the final three rounds of the Players Championship in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said they learned quite a bit this week and they plan on sharing that information with commissioners of other leagues in the sports industry. There were no positive tests for COVID-19 from any of the players or caddies last week at Colonial Country Club. Also, of note, the Korn Ferry Tour, the feeder tour to the PGA Tour, moves from Dyes Valley to the King & Bear for a tournament that begins Wednesday and runs through Saturday.

Berger a winner at Colonial, and PGA Tour feels like it, too

The tour administered 487 tests for the new coronavirus at Colonial, and the results on all of them came back negative. Berger made a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and heard the deafening silence of a big moment with no spectators allowed at Colonial. He got into a playoff when Collin Morikawa missed a 6-foot birdie putt for the win and Xander Schauffele missed his try from 25 feet. Justin Rose had an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th that looked good all the way until it wasn't. He finished one behind along with Bryson DeChambeau and Jason Kokrak, who also missed birdie chances on the last hole.

A safe return for golf as Berger wins Colonial in a playoff

Daniel Berger poses with the championship trophy after winning the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament after a playoff round at the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, June 14, 2020. Berger saved par from behind the 17th green on the first playoff hole and won when Collin Morikawa missed a 3-foot par putt. Berger closed with a 4-under 66, his 28th consecutive round at par or better dating to Oct. 11 at the Houston Open. And then his 3-foot par putt on the 17th hole dipped in one side of the hole and spun out of the other. His 25-foot birdie putt to join the playoff came up just short and he shot 69.

With a swing and silence, PGA Tour gets back to business

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)FORT WORTH, Texas With one swing met with silence, the PGA Tour got back to business Thursday at Colonial. Ryan Palmer was selected to hit the opening tee shot at the Charles Schwab Challenge as a Colonial member who raised money for COVID-19 pandemic relief through his Pros For A Purpose campaign. The last PGA Tour event was March 12 at The Players Championship for the opening round. The tour first announced there'd be no fans the rest of the week, and by the end of the day canceled the tournament and eventually 10 more. Players also were told they should handle their own clubs, and caddies should wipe down flagsticks after handling them.

Tour recognizes racial injustice with moment of silence

Players at the 8:46 a.m. tee time paused to pay their respects to the memory of George Floyd for a moment of silence, prayer and reflection. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)FORT WORTH, Texas Colonial already was quiet with no spectators around for the return of the PGA Tour on Thursday. As the PGA Tour commits to amplifying voices and efforts to end systemic issues of racial and social injustices, we have reserved the 8:46 tee time to pause for a moment of silence, prayer and reflection, Monahan said. Harold Varner III, one of four PGA Tour players of black heritage, was the strongest voice. He also pointed to Woods, not only as prolific a winner the PGA Tour has ever seen, but a player with a multiracial heritage.

PGA Tour to hold minute of silence at 8:46 to honor Floyd

FORT WORTH, Texas FORT WORTH, TexasThe PGA Tour is leaving the 8:46 a.m. tee time vacant this week at Colonial as part of a tribute to George Floyd and to support efforts to end racial and social injustice. In a memo to players Tuesday, Commissioner Jay Monahan said there would be a moment of silence in each of the four rounds at the Charles Schwab Challenge that will coincide with the 8:46 a.m. tee time. It has quickly become a universal symbol for the racial injustice faced by the black community, the memo said. The PGA Tour has been shut down the last three months because of the coronavirus pandemic, and it returns at Colonial with attention shared among the health and safety of running a tournament and the civil unrest sparked by Floyd's death across the country. Monahan and Harold Varner III, one of three PGA Tour members of black heritage, had a 10-minute conversation last week that the tour posted to its website to try to figure out ways golf could do its part.

Golf makes a conservative return with an eye on the long run

What hasn't changed is his belief that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic isn't over just because golf is back. Greg Abbott this week moved the state to Phase III in the recovery that allows outdoor events at 50% capacity. At that time it was very unclear where we would be with safety and testing, Monahan said. Information was changing by the minute.Now that golf is returning, Monahan couldn't predict when spectators would return. The conversation was scheduled before the protests began, and Varner was chosen because he's on the Player Advisory Council and golf was ready to resume.

Pro golf plans to be the first major sport to return during the coronavirus pandemic

The PGA Tour is looking to be the first major sport to return to action following the coronavirus outbreak, but there will be one key change when players return to the links for the June 8 Charles Schwab Challenge. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Alley" to talk about golf's return and how the decision was made at a time when coronavirus has infected more than 2 million people around the globe. It's not surprising golf is the first sport to return. When it comes to testing players, the Tour said it's working with its medical experts and are closely following the developments of large-scale testing capabilities and rapid-response type tests to develop a protocol for potentially testing players in the future. "I think it was really important as a sport to come together to present a schedule that we knew our fans would love that would help our sport re-emerge," Monahan said.

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Augusta National postpones Masters until a later date due to coronavirus

After remaining silent for more than a week, Augusta National Golf Club announced on Friday morning that the Masters, which was scheduled to begin on April 9, will be postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus fears. Statement from Chairman Ridley: "Considering the latest information and expert analysis, we have decided at this time to postpone @TheMasters, @anwagolf and @DriveChipPutt National Finals." Full details at https://t.co/FX2AN1MLsY pic.twitter.com/Z2DjS5TYdG The Masters (@TheMasters) March 13, 2020The safety, health and well-being of everyone is our top priority at Augusta National Golf Club, Ridley said in a statement at that time. Its unfortunate for the PGA Tour and the Masters.Kevin Kisner, who grew up in Aiken, S.C., near Augusta, wasnt surprised by ANGCs decision. Its as simple as that.We recognize this decision will affect many people, including our loyal patrons, Ridley said in his statement.

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PGA Tour won't allow fans for foreseeable future due to coronavirus

PGA TOUR flag during the first round of the Korn Ferry Tour's The Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay golf course on January 12, 2020 in Great Exuma, Bahamas. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced Thursday that The Players Tournament in Ponte Verda, Florida and all tournaments in the near future will go on as planned, but without spectators due to the spread of the coronavirus. The Tour also announced the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship will be postponed as a result of travel advisories issued. The PGA Tour is the latest professional sports organization to announce a change due to coronavirus. Today's announcement comes the same week the Tour announced a nine-year media deal worth an estimated $700M per year.

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Golf authorities to discourage slow play

Both the Players Championship and the US Open's winning purse rocketed to $12.5 million last year. Yet in recent weeks the sport has undergone something of a crisis of confidence in the slow play of some leading players. Notably, American Bryson DeChambeau was criticized by his fellow professionals at the Northern Trust event in New Jersey earlier this month. Shortly afterwards, the European Tour announced new protocols that could see players penalized with penalty strokes for slow play in the future. We're talking to our players and our players advisory council and we're going to use this as an opportunity to improve.