PGA Tour, LIV Golf & DP World Tour merger: Calls for Jay Monahan to resign in 'heated' players meeting

PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan has faced calls to resign at an "intense and heated" players meeting following the shock merger with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Several players left the American PGA Tour and European-based DP World Tour to join the $2bn (£1.6bn) Saudi-backed LIV circuit when it launched last year.

Monahan said those who joined LIV would not be welcome back on the PGA Tour.

"I recognise that people are going to call me a hypocrite," Monahan said.

Northern Ireland's world number three Rory McIlroy, who has been a firm defender of the PGA Tour, is set to speak to the media at around 15:00 BST on Wednesday.

McIlroy is the defending champion at this week's PGA Tour event at the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto and was at Tuesday's 75-minute players meeting.

There are reports that he was involved in an angry exchange during the meeting, telling world number 227 Grayson Murray to "just play better" as the American criticised Monahan. Murray reportedly swore at McIlroy but another player, Wesley Bryan, later confirmed the exchange on social media, adding they "were cordial and pleasant post meeting".

American golfer Johnson Wagner, a PGA Tour winner, told the Golf Channel: "There were many moments where certain players were calling for new leadership of the PGA Tour and even got a couple of standing ovations.

"I think the most powerful moment was when a player quoted Monahan from the 3M in Minnesota last year when he said, 'as long as I'm commissioner of the PGA Tour, no player that took LIV money will ever play the PGA Tour again'. It just seems like a lot of backtracking.

"Players were mad, players were calling for [his] resignation, and Jay sat there and took it like a champ, he really did."

An agreement has been signed that will combine the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV's commercial operations and rights into a new, yet to be named for-profit company and it means pending litigation between the tours will be halted.

But the announcement took players by surprise with many reacting with anger, while the specifics of how the Tours will look going forward is not yet clear.

Former US Open champion Geoff Ogilvy added: "(Monahan) just sort of explained the structure, how it's going to look going forward.

"He didn't really talk specifics. It was a tough meeting for both sides because nobody really knows what this is going to look like in the end."

Human rights group Amnesty say the announcement is further evidence of Saudi Arabian efforts to draw attention away from the country's human rights record, known as sportswashing.

Meanwhile a 9/11 victims group say the PGA Tour should be "ashamed of their hypocrisy and greed" after Monahan previously referenced the terror attacks when criticising players for leaving the PGA Tour for LIV.

"Any time I've said anything I've said it with the information I had at that moment, and I said it based on someone that's trying to compete for the PGA Tour and our players," said Monahan.

"I accept those criticisms but circumstances do change and I think looking at the big picture got us to this point.

"It probably didn't seem this way to them but as I looked to those players that have been loyal to the PGA Tour, I'm confident they made the right decision.

"They have helped re-architect the future of the PGA Tour, they have moved us to a more competitive model. We have significantly invested in our business in 2023 and we're going to do so in 2024."

LIV players lost their places on DP World Tour and PGA Tour, were fined for taking part and also saw their world rankings plummet as LIV events were not officially sanctioned.

'Financial and moral issues'

European players who resigned from the DP World Tour are also not currently eligible for the 2023 Ryder Cup, with Henrik Stenson removed as captain for this year's event, which takes place in Rome from 29 September to 1 October.

Stalwarts such as Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter are among the ineligible players but Padraig Harrington, who captained Europe in their defeat by the United States at Whistling Straits in 2021, told BBC Radio 5 live that he thinks the "rules will be changed" although he was unsure if that would be in time for this year's contest.

"I'm sure a mass of lawyers will be going over the details," added the Irishman, who also pointed out there are many financial and moral issues to resolve.

"The top six players who didn't go were offered $2.1bn (£1.7bn) between them to go. That payment can't be equalised. Someone can't come along and go here's the $2.1bn.

"What looks like will happen is the PIF will put enough money into the new entity that the players as a pool will get a share.

"All the players will gain financially but they're not going to gain like they would've done had they jumped ship."There were costs to jumping too. The guys who left lost sponsors. As much as they got upfront money, they lost other things."There is a financial situation to this but it's more the moral side.

"If you'd taken a stance and said you weren't going, how do you feel? I'm assuming that you don't have to [play]. It's not like you have to do anything in golf. I think players will still be able to speak out."

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Brooks Koepka, who the PGA Championship last month, is one of the high-profile golfers to have accepted LIV's offer

Monahan said all golfers who joined LIV will be able to reapply for PGA Tour membership in 2024.

He also said that conversations about compensation may take place with golfers who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour, such as Tiger Woods and McIlroy.

Fifteen-time major winner Woods and turned down a lucrative offer to join LIV last year.

"Those are the serious conversations that we're going to have," said Monahan.

"Ultimately everything needs to be considered. Ultimately what you're talking about is an equalisation over time and I think that's a fair and reasonable concept."

High-profile players who accepted lucrative offers to join LIV, such as Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson, were supportive of the merger with Mickelson saying it was an "awesome day".

Former US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, told CNN it was "the best thing that could ever happen for the game of golf" adding: "We are better together and not apart."

But ex-PGA Tour player Brandel Chamblee, who is now a television analyst, has been critical, describing the announcement as "one of the saddest days in the history of professional golf".

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