PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A collection of quotes from players interviewed during the Hawaii swing — before the PGA Tour finalized a $3 billion deal with minority investor Strategic Sports Group — on PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan's handling of the Saudi situation:
“I feel sorry for him because he was between a rock and a hard place. If it ends up at a place where he puts a lot more money in people’s pockets, I think he’ll end up staying.” — Erik van Rooyen.
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“Do I trust him? I do trust him. I just wish he didn’t say a few things here and there. Going and facing the Saudis with words, that was never the right path. And then you do the total opposite. But I think he’s done the best for the players always. I think he tries to go the extra mile.” — Emiliano Grillo.
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“I don’t know what they’re trying to achieve in terms of communication. That’s the hardest part. Nobody knows what’s going on. If you’re not going tell us what’s going on, you lose faith.” — Kevin Kisner.
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“It would have been really hard for anybody to manage this whole situation without some kind of problems. I’m not one to jump and blame Jay. If this framework agreement doesn’t turn into a merger and it all gets dropped, at that point I might start to question some of his leadership." — Stewart Cink.
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“I feel like everything we do on this tour is reactive. The deal itself, based on the situation we’re in, is probably the right move. But we probably should have never been in this situation to begin with. Not even taking the meeting a couple of years back just to hear what they have to say, if nothing else to use it against them, is just common business sense.” — Mark Hubbard.
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“They’re all held accountable. He’s the big cheese and he’s accountable, too. That’s why we have a board, and more player directors than ever. Maybe it’s because I’m older that I do trust the process. I do wish — and Jay knows this — we could have been informed more.” — Zach Johnson.
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“If we land in a good spot, then I think Jay is in a good spot. The devil is in the details. If we do come down to a deal and are a for-profit entity, then people investing are going to have a lot of say in how the company is run and who’s running it. We’re going to live and die by business principles. There’s not going to be jobs for the boys for the sake of it.” — Justin Rose.
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“I understand why decisions have been made without the voice of the players. I think when this was all happening, the vernacular Jay was using were the wrong words at the time. He kept saying, ‘We’re working for you guys.’ If he had used different language, it wouldn’t have been so emotional.” — Adam Hadwin.
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“I was very proud and pleased with the way he handled golf through COVID. If it weren’t for his foresight and his boldness and his decision-making, we would have been in a really bad spot. So for me, Jay gets a long rope with decision-making.” — Brian Harman.
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“You can always say, ‘Coulda, shoulda, would’ done this and done that. But at the end of the day, if he has our best interest at heart and in the forefront, then he should be captain of the ship. If someone else is better at it, then they need to be doing it. If he has a great outcome, then he should be at the helm.”— Harris English.
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“Give him the chance to finish this thing out and see what the outcome is. The outcome definitely has a bearing on his future as commissioner.” — Sepp Straka.
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“I think we need a new influx of leadership. Whether a new company is started as we have private equity and investment and all that, I imagine — I would hope — they would want a change there. They have to show the players change is coming for the better and not this sort of stale sandwich we’ve been eating for some time.” — Xander Schauffele.
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“Everyone out here thinks they’re smart, but they’re players. You have no idea how to run a $1 billion business. I’ve always gotten along with Jay. That doesn’t mean just because you’re a good guy you’re the best person for the job. If a deal comes through and people are happy, there will be probably more grace for what happened. But for what happened, it’s going to take a lot to forget about that. Maybe not forget, but forgive.” — Nick Taylor.
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“What happened is it got too emotional from every angle — from the media, from Jay, from the guys that went. Too many things were said that I think made it tough for people to come together and listen.” — Camilo Villegas.
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