HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan walks the sixth green during the RBC Heritage at Harbor Town Golf Links on April 13, 2022. | Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images
Monahan, the Commissioner of the PGA Tour, took a leave of absence for medical reasons after the PGA struck a deal with the Saudi Arabians.
The Commissioner is back.
Late Friday, reports emerged that Jay Monahan would return to his post as Commissioner of the PGA Tour on Jul. 17, almost a month after he disclosed a health issue would sideline him.
Eamon Lynch of Golfweek was the first to report the news.
Interestingly, Monahan was invited to testify before the United States Senate on Jul. 11.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and other politicians are probing this deal, citing national security concerns since the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) is the sovereign wealth fund of a foreign entity.
The Department of Justice is investigating this agreement as well based on possible antitrust violations.
But the Commissioner declined to testify because of his health concerns. Yet, he must be feeling better as he will return to his post just six days after the hearing.
PGA Tour board member Jimmy Dunne and PGA Tour Chief Operating Officer Ron Price will testify instead.
Monahan took a leave of absence just days after he and Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of the PIF, announced that the PGA Tour and the PIF agreed to a commercial partnership.
The commissioner has received plenty of criticism since the Jun. 6 bombshell announcement. Players, media, and politicians have slammed the PGA Tour’s deal with the Saudis.
So has 9/11 Families United, who referred to Monahan and the PGA Tour as “paid Saudi shills.”
That led many people to find the timing of his health situation interesting, to say the least.
Monahan returns with plenty of questions to answer, including the future of LIV Golf.
Some reports have indicated that Monahan will have the final say on LIV’s prospects. Yet, al-Rumayyan has said that LIV Golf is not going anywhere, and it appears that way after the breakaway league created a relegation system for its players.
Separately, Monahan will face questions about the various legal battles the tour has faced.
Many questions loom about the 357-page lawsuit filed in the 15th Judicial Circuit Court in Palm Beach County, Florida, which the Twitter account @desertdufferLLG discovered on Jul. 2.
Monahan supposedly laid out talking points within that document for Tiger Woods, who vehemently denied any involvement.
Who knows how everything will shake out, but one thing remains certain: Monahan has plenty of stuff on his plate and an infinite amount of questions to answer.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
