Jay Monahan
4th Commissioner of the PGA Tour
Assumed office
January 1, 2017
Preceded byTim Finchem
Personal details
Born
Joseph William Monahan IV

(1970-05-07) May 7, 1970
Belmont, Massachusetts, U.S.
SpouseSusan Monahan
Children2 daughters
EducationTrinity College, Connecticut (BA)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst (MS)

Joseph William "Jay" Monahan IV (born May 7, 1970) is the fourth and current commissioner of golf's PGA Tour. He ascended to this position in January 2017.

Succeeding Tim Finchem (who was the PGA Tour's third commissioner from 1994 to 2017), Monahan's tenure as commissioner is considered very controversial, due, among other factors, to the fact that he did business with the Public Investment Fund (or the PIF), the Saudi Arabian investment fund and owners of LIV Golf (the rival golf organization of the PGA Tour) and who are accused of promoting sportswashing to divert the focus from the controversies and crimes committed by the regime led by Mohammed bin Salman (the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia), which made him the target of heavy criticism from both PGA Tour players and the families of the 9/11 victims (who believe that Saudi Arabia was involved in that tragedy and who accuse Monaham of doing business with a terrorist regime).[1][2][3][4][5]

Early years

Monahan was born and raised in Belmont, Massachusetts, a suburb northwest of Boston. Following graduation from Belmont High School, he did a post graduate year at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.[6]

Monahan was immersed in the sport of golf as a child and went on to play Division III golf and hockey at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was an Academic All-American in his senior season under golf coach Bill Detrick.[7] He graduated with a history degree in 1993 and then earned a master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1995.[7]

Early career

Monahan worked at IMG Worldwide where he played an integral role in the development of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, and served as the tournament’s first director at age 32. In 2003, Monahan co-created Golf Fights Cancer, a charity that has raised nearly $5 million for cancer research.[8] Later, he worked in sales for the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in Boston.

PGA Tour

In June 2008, Monahan came to the PGA Tour as the executive director of The Players Championship, and was named the Tour’s Senior Vice President for Business Development in 2010. He was promoted to Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer in March 2013, overseeing business development, corporate marketing and partnerships, title sponsor relations, retail licensing, and media sales.[7]

Monahan served as Deputy Commissioner for two years and then became the Chief Operating Officer. PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem announced his retirement in 2016 on November 7, and Monahan officially took over as commissioner two months later in January 2017.[9][10]

In February 2022, Monahan received a letter from the LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman. The letter detailed how players "were and still are interested in playing for a new league, in addition to the PGA Tour." Norman stated that he wanted the leagues to co-exist, to which Monahan responded that he "doesn't want that at all."[11] After the creation and completion of several LIV Golf events, the Department of Justice launched an investigation into potential monopolization and anticompetitive behavior on behalf of the PGA Tour.[12]

Personal

Monahan and his wife Susan have two daughters; they reside in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, near Tour headquarters and home of The Players Championship (TPC Sawgrass).

References

  1. ↑ "Revealed: Saudi Arabia's $6bn spend on 'sportswashing'". The Guardian. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  2. ↑ "PIF chairman Mohammed bin Salman 'doesn't care' about 'sportswashing' accusations". The Athletic. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  3. ↑ "Explainer: What is Saudi Arabia's PIF and why is it linked to sportswashing?". Sportcal. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  4. ↑ "Mohammed bin Salman: 'I don't care' about 'sportswashing' accusations". BBC Sport. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  5. ↑ "9/11 Families United Statement on PGA Merging with Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour". 9/11 Families United. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  6. ↑ "The Closer: PGA Tour Chief Jay Monahan". Golf Digest. March 11, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 "Monahan appointed as PGA Tour's next Commissioner". PGA Tour. November 7, 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  8. ↑ McCabe, Jim (January 14, 2017). "New PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan is a people person from Belmont". Boston Globe. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  9. ↑ McAllister, Mike (January 3, 2017). "Monahan Era begins". PGA Tour. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
  10. ↑ Babineau, Jeff (November 7, 2016). "Jay Monahan approved as incoming PGA Tour commissioner, replacing Tim Finchem". Golfweek. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  11. ↑ "No end in sight to PGA Tour-LIV Golf feud following Norman's letter". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
  12. ↑ Beaton, Louise Radnofsky and Andrew (2022-07-19). "Inside the Legal Battle for Golf's Future". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-08-11.
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