Jay Monahan, commissioner of the PGA Tour, appeared this Wednesday in the preview of the TOUR Championship, the grand finale of the FedEx Cup taking place this week in Atlanta. A highly anticipated press conference, as always, but on this occasion it did not provide many concrete answers on relevant issues such as the famous agreement with the Saudi Investment Fund, which is still not finalised after months of negotiation, nor about the situation of the LIV Golf players and the possibility that they may compete again in the US circuit in the future.
The speech of Monahan focused mainly on the possible improvements that the tour will try to implement in the future related to a programme launched to know the opinion of the fans. Many of them, focused on television broadcasts, with a new format on Fridays that will be tested during the next autumn calendar, or with personalised international signals from the THE PLAYERS in markets with relevant players. Below we review some of the most interesting phrases from the commissioner.
First evaluations
“This morning you will hear three common themes: commitment, momentum and innovation. The goal is to create a better and more relevant PGA Tour for all those who love this sport. We have the structure and the necessary resources to define the future of professional golf and the significant support of a group of world-class investors. And finally, we are actively driving innovation for both fans and players. We invest in providing better experiences to lay the foundations for a more attractive circuit. Significant and impactful changes that are the beginning of what is to come”.
The opinion of the fans
“The fans are at the centre of what we do, their voice drives us. We have launched a new initiative called Fan Forward, a way to engage directly with our main stakeholders, identify opportunities for innovation and accelerate the PGA Tour towards the future. The first step is a comprehensive research that is already underway. We have already received over 30,000 responses to our initial survey. We are analysing what we offer to fans from all angles. We will listen, learn and act without stopping”.
In the image of other great shows
“This process is inspired by what the MLB and the NFL did to drive innovation in their own products and we have the experience of our investors in Strategic Sports Group to help us do it right. From the restructuring of our calendar to ending the playoffs before Labor Day, as well as new elements such as interviews with players in broadcasts, more behind-the-scenes images through Full Swing… We are working to modernise the broadcast”.
The importance of television
“Other platforms are growing and gaining some relevance, but television remains the main platform on which fans consume the PGA Tour. It is an area where we know our followers are eager for innovation and we are responding to it. In the autumn calendar, we will implement a new broadcasting approach at several events. Thursdays will be a traditional broadcast and on Fridays new features will be adopted based on fan feedback. Then we will conduct a survey to check preferences”.
New international formats
“We are improving the experience for fans around the world. A priority is to make our stars known and attract international fans. In the past, for example, if a fan from Tokyo wanted to see Matsuyama’s victory on the PGA Tour, they basically saw the same broadcast as another from Atlanta. In the future, with dedicated resources and made possible by PGA Tour Studios, we are going to launch our new global channel, which will allow us to customise the broadcast for markets around the world. That is, a Japanese fan will see a more personalised broadcast, with coverage focused on Japanese players and with Japanese commentators and graphics. It will premiere at THE PLAYERS and will be available at all subsequent events in 2025”.
New formats, voices and platforms
“In a third area, we will try to engage fans by adopting new voices of golf, narrators and platforms. Golf is booming. All of you know that. Just last year, more than three million golfers stepped onto a golf course for the first time. Three million. Think about it. It would be as if the entire population of Iowa or Nevada took up golf in the same year. These golfers are younger and more diverse, and the popularity of golf is also growing in key markets around the world. It is not a phenomenon exclusive to the United States. In many cases, the relationship of these younger fans with golf is being shaped by innovative technology and new personalities and influencers presenting original and fresh content on YouTube and other digital platforms. We want to deepen our relationship with these new platforms and influencers so that they can connect more directly with our world-class athletes. You have seen evidence of this throughout the FedExCup Playoffs”.
Negotiation with the Saudi fund
“We are together at the table and actively participating in the Public Investment Fund. We continue to trust in that outcome. But at the same time, we are moving at full speed and focusing on what we can control, because that is what we owe to our fans”.
Will the 2026 and 2027 calendar be similar to this year and next?
“When you look at the performance of the PGA TOUR in 2024, our first full year with Signature Events and full field events, as I mentioned before, the Signature Events had elite winners and top-level competitions, just like the full field events. We saw a 30% increase in field strength at our full field events, and we saw players in many cases playing more events due to the competitive structure we have in place. 2025 will be the second year of this model. We are encouraged by what we have seen in 2024. I think the only fair way to answer that question is that it is our duty to the players and it is our duty to our fans to continue evaluating our performance”.
The slowness of the agreement with the FIP
“I appreciate the question and understand it. I think the best way to answer is that, if we look at where we are right now, we maintain regular dialogue. We have the right people at the table with the right mindset. I see it in all these conversations and it is on both sides. That creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together. But at the same time, these conversations are complex. They will take their time. They have taken time and will continue to take time. Sitting here today, I think the most important thing for us and our obligations to our fans, our players and our partners is to focus on what we control, which is what we are doing, as I have pointed out, and to continue driving this momentum forward. But I am not going to negotiate details in public or reveal specific details. All I can say is that the conversations continue, and they are productive”.
Have you agreed on any deadline?
“We have not agreed on any deadline. I don’t think we want to limit ourselves in that sense. We want to achieve the best possible outcome at the right time”.
Way back for players who descend in LIV
“As I have said before, we have announced our calendar for 2025. We continue to focus on what we control, moving forward with the great system we have in place. As for the details of the conversations we are having with the Public Investment Fund, I am not going to reveal details. I am not going to go into details. But I will tell you that when you look at what has happened on the PGA Tour in the last two years, think about PGA Tour University, now having 20 players who have access to the Korn Ferry Tour and the PGA Tour, having these new and emerging stars, some of whom are still in college, like Luke Clanton, earning points and showing the world that they are coming and that they are capable of competing at the highest level, to the strength we see in the Korn Ferry, to the path we have in the DP World Tour and our great alliance there, and those 10 players have made it here, three of whom have made it to the FedExCup Playoffs… The system we have, which extends to international circuits around the world, is performing at a really high level, and that is what excites us”.
With the investment of SSG, what is the point of continuing to talk to the Saudis?
“I think if we look at the current situation and what the fans and players are telling us, ultimately both of us are in a position to bring the best players in the world back together. I think that is a good and ambitious goal. As I said before, we are in those conversations. We are at the table. They are complex, and it is going to take time. But ultimately, the PGA Tour is the best tour in the world and we are going to continue focusing on the things we control. And I think as I have pointed out, I am very proud of the achievements that our players and the whole team have achieved together. I think it is the right time to have these conversations, and it is the right time not only for the PGA Tour, but for the game. That is why we have committed to these conversations”.
LIV players eligible for the PGA Tour
“Yes, players who have never played on the PGA Tour and have no pending connection with a previous membership, there is a one-year waiting period between playing in an unauthorised event and being able to return to the PGA Tour”.
What if they have been members?
“Well, players who are members or are Tour members also have all our tournament regulations and conduct policies applied to them. I am not going to go into details about that, but there is an additional set of guidelines there to consider”.
Future rotation in the playoffs?
“Moving to the three FedExCup Playoff events has worked very, very well, especially now that we are in a 70-50-30 format in which we are”.
Television changes in autumn
“We have heard from the fans and we are working with our partners at Golf Channel to test a couple of the themes, like being able to see more shots and potentially fewer putts. Friday is one of the most important days on the PGA Tour. It is what defines this organisation. We have more than half of the players who do not make it to the weekend. Being able to tell those stories, not only for that week, but in the context of what they are trying to achieve, and in the autumn, obviously, they are competing for their cards, they are competing for their careers… So we can bring those stories forward, as you will see in other innovations that we will continue testing as we move forward. But I will say that this is based on fan feedback. It is also based on feedback from Golf Channel, and we are doing it together with our eyes wide open. I think that shows the strength of the partnership we have”.
Priority of the agreement with the Saudis
“I would say that the priority has increased. It is stronger. It is the direct result of dialogue and conversation and starting to talk about the future, the vision of the future product and where we can take our sport. I think when productive conversations are initiated, the chances of positive outcomes increase, and that improves the spirit of those same conversations. I think that’s where things stand”.
Television audiences down 15%
“We work with our network partners, our media partners, every day. That’s what partners do. I think if we look at 2024, it’s important to point out, and I’m going to do it, that overall consumption across all our platforms has increased. It’s a very good sign for the PGA Tour and the commitment we have with our fans. As we do every year, we’re going to sit down, we’re going to analyse our entire season, we’re going to see what worked well, what didn’t work as we expected. Those are the areas for improvement, and we’re going to attack those areas for improvement”.
