Golf tour merger coming soon

[Michael Morandi]

I can’t believe that Monahan still has his job. Friends who know and like him don’t argue with the characterization that he’s just a “suit.” The primary job of any CEO is to identify and repel external threats. He failed to do so and then responded by upping the purses to keep the elite players. Is he like Roger Goodell of the NFL: doing the bidding for the elite players just as Roger does it for the owners?

How was he supposed to expel an external threat that had unlimited funds? That made players offers they personal couldn't turn down. How do you stop that? Once the most prolific choker in major championship history found his backer to try and destroy the PGA tour I don't see how anyone could have stopped it. Just my opinion.

If you believe that recruiting Phil was critical to LIV, then conceding name, image and likeness rights to Phil might have stop the lefty, as he requested. Small price. And now Monahan hands out millions to players with the highest social media profiles.

[Kalen Braley]

I can’t believe that Monahan still has his job. Friends who know and like him don’t argue with the characterization that he’s just a “suit.” The primary job of any CEO is to identify and repel external threats. He failed to do so and then responded by upping the purses to keep the elite players. Is he like Roger Goodell of the NFL: doing the bidding for the elite players just as Roger does it for the owners?

How was he supposed to expel an external threat that had unlimited funds? That made players offers they personal couldn't turn down. How do you stop that? Once the most prolific choker in major championship history found his backer to try and destroy the PGA tour I don't see how anyone could have stopped it. Just my opinion.

100% agree with Rob on this one.

I asked back then and i'll ask again now, what the hell was he supposed to do to repel a competitor who was literally willing to flush billions down the toilet?

We have anti-trust laws to protect against this kind of behavior, so safe to say it sickens me the new regime is apparently willing to look the other way on this.

P.S.  Could the tour afford to give just one player like Phil $200 Mill?  This is a complete non-starter

[Michael Morandi]

Isn’t it interesting how quickly Monahan altered the tour structure with signature events, increased purses and social media rankings with massive payouts?  He had these arrows in his quiver and if he was far sighted enough to see the threat of losing top players he might have used them earlier. Ok, PIF offered guaranteed money and few events, but couldn’t Monahan have floated these changes before losing star golfers?  There is no evidence that he did. His only strategy was to shame the defectors for associating with sportswashing, even though he approved some playing in the Saudi International when they were on his tour. And now he’s negotiating with PIF. Where’s the shame in that?Weak!

[Kalen Braley]

Michael,

I will concede he did what he could, but look at the PIP amounts for example, all to be spread out among dozens of players

$40 Mill in 2021
$100 Mill each in 2022 and 2023
$50 Mill in 2024

Jon Rahm's deal alone was bigger than all of that combined, as the Saudis literally spent billions to get those big names.  Its still an apples to oranges comparison. He was never gonna come up with that kind of money and would have lost even more face to pretend that he could.

[Rob Marshall]

The tour can't continue to pay these purses. The sponsors get no bang for the buck. They will eventually back out and spend their money else where.

[Michael Morandi]

Michael,

I will concede he did what he could, but look at the PIP amounts for example, all to be spread out among dozens of players

$40 Mill in 2021
$100 Mill each in 2022 and 2023
$50 Mill in 2024

Jon Rahm's deal alone was bigger than all of that combined, as the Saudis literally spent billions to get those big names.  Its still an apples to oranges comparison. He was never gonna come up with that kind of money and would have lost even more face to pretend that he could.

Understood, but my point is that he should have got ahead of LIV with the concessions he made after he lost stars to LIV. Maybe he would have lost them anyway but it wouldn’t look so reactionary. That’s why I say a CEOs primary job is understanding potential threats to the business. It’s not like a surprise that  LIV wasn’t already sport washing or that Greg Norman wanted a world tour. 

[Chris Hughes]

If you believe that recruiting Phil was critical to LIV, then conceding name, image and likeness rights to Phil might have stop the lefty, as he requested.

Excellent point.

100% agree with Rob on this one.

I asked back then and i'll ask again now, what the hell was he supposed to do to repel a competitor who was literally willing to flush billions down the toilet?

P.S.  Could the tour afford to give just one player like Phil $200 Mill?  This is a complete non-starter

As Michael adroitly points out, simply conceding Phil's NIL rights and allowing him to monetize on his own may have been enough.  Tour wouldn't have had to write any checks...

[Erik J. Barzeski]

What is more important?

You said "The primary job of any CEO" "is to identify and repel external threats"…

Here's what ChatGPT says:

The primary job of a CEO is to set and execute the company's vision, strategy, and overall direction while ensuring sustainable growth and profitability. This includes:

• Setting Vision & Strategy – Defining the company’s long-term goals and the roadmap to achieve them.
• Leadership & Culture – Building and leading an effective executive team, fostering a strong company culture, and ensuring employee engagement.
• Financial Oversight – Managing revenue, profitability, and overall financial health while ensuring efficient resource allocation.
• Stakeholder Management – Communicating with investors, the board of directors, employees, customers, and other key stakeholders.
• Decision-Making & Risk Management – Making critical business decisions, mitigating risks, and adapting to market changes.

Ultimately, a CEO is responsible for the company's success or failure, ensuring that it remains competitive and aligned with its mission.

Here's what an article said:

The primary job of a CEO is to lead the organization by setting and executing its overall strategy, making major corporate decisions, and managing the company's operations and resources. They are also responsible for communicating with the board of directors and ensuring that the company's goals are met.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Understood, but my point is that he should have got ahead of LIV with the concessions he made after he lost stars to LIV. Maybe he would have lost them anyway but it wouldn’t look so reactionary. That’s why I say a CEOs primary job is understanding potential threats to the business. It’s not like a surprise that  LIV wasn’t already sport washing or that Greg Norman wanted a world tour.

They didn't have the money until the new media rights deal kicked in.

[Michael Morandi]

What is more important?

You said "The primary job of any CEO" "is to identify and repel external threats"…

Here's what ChatGPT says:

The primary job of a CEO is to set and execute the company's vision, strategy, and overall direction while ensuring sustainable growth and profitability. This includes:

• Setting Vision & Strategy – Defining the company’s long-term goals and the roadmap to achieve them.
• Leadership & Culture – Building and leading an effective executive team, fostering a strong company culture, and ensuring employee engagement.
• Financial Oversight – Managing revenue, profitability, and overall financial health while ensuring efficient resource allocation.
• Stakeholder Management – Communicating with investors, the board of directors, employees, customers, and other key stakeholders.
• Decision-Making & Risk Management – Making critical business decisions, mitigating risks, and adapting to market changes.

Ultimately, a CEO is responsible for the company's success or failure, ensuring that it remains competitive and aligned with its mission.

Here's what an article said:

The primary job of a CEO is to lead the organization by setting and executing its overall strategy, making major corporate decisions, and managing the company's operations and resources. They are also responsible for communicating with the board of directors and ensuring that the company's goals are met.

And I stand by my assertion. Did the CEO of Blockbuster fail for not seeing Netflix in the rear view mirror?  What about Kodak and digital photography?  All the roles you cite are contingent on the company’s existence. And you do know that AI is prone to hallucinations, meaning wrong answers. I’ve made my point. I’m done. I’ve been on a few boards. Monahan would not get my endorsement.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

And I stand by my assertion.

Strange hill to die on, but it's your hill. That's not the "primary job of any CEO."

It's on the list, somewhere, but I talked with some MBAs, some business admins, and two CEOs I teach. None of them listed it in the top several "jobs." So it's not just A(rtificial) I(ntelligence) that disagrees with you - it's actual intelligence. Applied intelligence. Accumulated intelligence.

Furthermore, Netflix isn't the Saudi Wealth Fund (and Blockbuster's error was likely not buying them, not in being unaware of Netflix), nor is "digital photography," which is just an advance in technology. Unless Kodak wanted to get into producing phones… as the iPhone is the most popular camera in the world these days… I'm not sure the examples are as good as you think they are when you said them.

[Michael Morandi]

So who is responsible for identifying existential threats to the business, if not the CEO? Don’t tell me it’s the board that typically is packed by the CEOs picks.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

So who is responsible for identifying existential threats to the business, if not the CEO? Don’t tell me it’s the board that typically is packed by the CEOs picks.

The CEO.

[Michael Morandi]

Monahan told Trump that he’s open to Trump courses hosting tour events, after a long hiatus. Is that a form of bribe, given the regulatory relief Jay needs to merge with LIV?  At a minimum, he should have kept this quiet.

[Chris Hughes]

Monahan told President Trump that he’s open to Trump courses hosting tour events, after a long hiatus. Is that a form of bribe, given the regulatory relief Jay needs to merge with LIV?  At a minimum, he should have kept this quiet.

Where did you see that?


The specific language I am seeing out there from Jay word-for-word says..."we haven't talked about that with the President"...

[Michael Morandi]

Interview on golf.com

[Chris Hughes]

Interview on golf.com

I don't see it -- might you provide a link?

[Michael Morandi]

Here’s a link. In this he denies that he talked to Trump about hosting tour events but is pretty public about it being on the table. Should have kept it quiet.


https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/hes-the-ultimate-dealmaker-jay-monahan-confident-president-trump-can-reunite-golf

[Chris Hughes]

Here’s a link. In this he denies that he talked to Trump about hosting tour events but is pretty public about it being on the table. Should have kept it quiet.


https://www.golfmonthly.com/news/hes-the-ultimate-dealmaker-jay-monahan-confident-president-trump-can-reunite-golf

Exact same language from the article I saw (same interview):

"We've played at Trump venues in the past," said Monahan. "While we haven't talked about that with the president, I certainly see a day where we're adding Trump venues to our schedule, certainly."

You said: "Monahan told Trump that he’s open to Trump courses hosting tour events..."

That just didn't happen.

------------------

Doral was a fantastic PGA Tour host/stop for 45 years and produced a magnificent roster of winners including:  Casper, Sanders, Nicklaus, Trevino, Rodgers, Bean, Weiskopf, Floyd, Kite, Wadkins, Crenshaw, Norman, Faldo, Elkington, Els, Hoch, Woods...

...with a stellar track record like Doral has why wouldn't the PGA Tour want to go back?

Monahan was a fool to leave Doral in the first place, going back is exactly what he should do.

[Michael Morandi]

There are a numbers of ways to communicate[size=78%]. One is through surrogates, another is directly and yet another is through the media. At a minimum, Monahan chose the media to say he’d entertain Trump venues. I can’t say whether he told Trump directly but it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t given the stakes and the Art of the  deal principal involved. [/size]

[Chris Hughes]

Tiger, Adam and Jay at the White House again today...

[astavrides]

I liked this article.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/02/22/pga-tour-saudi-money-liv/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F41436f8%2F67b9fa8b99aedb3a29da0fd3%2F598650faade4e26514e65afb%2F31%2F56%2F67b9fa8b99aedb3a29da0fd3

[Chris Hughes]

I liked this article.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/02/22/pga-tour-saudi-money-liv/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F41436f8%2F67b9fa8b99aedb3a29da0fd3%2F598650faade4e26514e65afb%2F31%2F56%2F67b9fa8b99aedb3a29da0fd3

Behind a paywall.


Could you summarize?


What are your takeaways?

[astavrides]

I liked this article.


https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2025/02/22/pga-tour-saudi-money-liv/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F41436f8%2F67b9fa8b99aedb3a29da0fd3%2F598650faade4e26514e65afb%2F31%2F56%2F67b9fa8b99aedb3a29da0fd3

Behind a paywall.


Could you summarize?


What are your takeaways?

This is the WaPo AI generated summary of comments about the article:
The comments overwhelmingly express disdain for the potential PGA Tour deal with LIV Golf, emphasizing the negative impact of associating with Saudi money and Donald Trump. Many commenters praise Sally Jenkins for her candid critique, agreeing that the PGA should maintain its integrity by distancing itself from LIV. There is a strong sentiment against the influence of money over principles, with several commenters expressing a loss of interest in professional golf due to these developments.

This is an attempt to remove the paywall to the article. Don't know if it will work.
https://wapo.st/3ETIOJS

[MCirba]

The merger should be coming any day now, right after the trumputin alternative to Obamacare, peace in the Middle East, cessation of inflation, unlimited cheap fossil fuels, "DOGE dividends", annexation of Canada, Greenland, and Panama, and the end of the Russian/Ukraine war.

[Tags:]

Tags: