Ponte Vedre, FL …
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan was first full of praise for McIlroy but then also reminded this week’s defending Players Championship who’s the boss.
In his now annual ‘State of the PGA Tour’ address and in a 9-page transcript, Monahan revealed he has not spoken to Premier Golf League (PGL) executives regarding a breakaway tour plus assuring fans the up-coming WGC – Match-Play title will go ahead in Coronavirus hit Austin, Texas.
Monahan also indicated, and despite McIlroy’s fears, that there also no contingency plans in place to host the PGA Championship scheduled to take place from May 14-17th in San Francisco, and also a US city hit by the virus.
And Monahan also revealed in his annual address American golfer Scott Piercy has been ‘disciplined’ by the Tour, and this after being dropped by golf equipment and apparel companies, in response to a social media post directed at former presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg as a well as a reference to QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory.
McIlroy won praise from Monahan for his ‘happy to stay on the PGA Tour’ remarks following news the PFL was planning a $20m breakaway tour.
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy (Photo @tourmiss)
“I would tell you that it just reminded us all of how thoughtful and thorough Rory McIlroy is,” said Monahan.
“He’s one of the top players in the world, and he had fully understood that model and what was being proposed, and he’s lived this one. I think his comments — I wasn’t surprised.
“I was certainly proud and pleased on that given day, and candidly, as I’ve talked to a lot of top players in my one-on-one conversations, I’ve heard a lot of the same.
“I just thought that was a moment of leadership, and that was a special time, special day.”
Just five questions later, and in the 25-question presser, Monahan was commenting on McIlroy’s remarks at last month’s Genesis Open …”there’s so many tournaments and there might be an over saturation in golf.”
Monahan responded: “Well, we have a wonderful PGA Tour FedExCup schedule with 49 events this year, and there really are very few weaknesses on our schedule.
“When you look at — when players — this is not the first time we’ve heard this.”
