Jay Monahan unpacks world tour idea, signature events | Live From The Players | Golf Channel

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan gives his thoughts on Rory McIlroy’s golf world tour concept and the differing opinions on signature and full-field events. #GolfChannel #LiveFromThePlayers #JayMonahan
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Jay Monahan unpacks world tour idea, signature events | Live From The Players | Golf Channel
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WITH A GREAT NEW INVESTOR, SSG AND A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT GROWTH. >> JAY, DO YOU SHARE THE CONTENTION FOR THE TOP PLAYERS IN THE TOUR, KIND OF ABOVE THE TRADITIONAL PGA TOUR? >> WELL — YOU KNOW, THAT CONCEPT ALONG WITH ANOTHER OF

OTHER CONCEPTS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED AT THE POLICY BOARD, INCLUDING RORY’S TIME ON THE POLICY BOARD. PART OF THE DYNAMIC, BEING COMMISSIONER OF THE PGA TOUR, IS BALANCING THE PERSPECTIVE OF NOT ONLY THE ENTIRE MEMBERSHIP, BUT PERSPECTIVE OF BOARD MEMBERS. AND IT’S INDISPUTABLE THAT THIS

IS A BILLABLE SPORT. WE HAVE, OVER THE YEARS, MOVED TO MORE INTERNATIONAL MARKETS. I THINK WHAT WE DID WITH THE GENESIS SCOTTISH OPEN AND THE SUCCESS WE’VE HAD THERE. THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES ON A GO FORWARD BASIS, BALANCING THAT IN THE COMMERCIAL MARKE >> HEY, JAY.

I UNDERSTAND THE SIGNATURE EVENTS ARE ASPIRATIONAL, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN PLAYERS THAT HAVE PROVIDED INTERESTING OPINION SAYING THAT THE FIELD SHOULD BE LARGER, SOME THINK IT SHOULD BE SMALLER. THERE COULD BE CUTS IN ALL OF THE SIGNATURE EVENTS, NO CUTS. ARE YOU CURRENTLY SATISFIED WITH

THE MODEL OF THE SIGNATURE EVENTS THAT WE HAVE ON TOUR? >> I’M NEVER SATISFIED WITH ANYTHING. BUT I WOULD — IT’S EARLY DAYS. WE’RE TEN DAYS INTO THIS SEASON. AND, AGAIN, GO ING BACK TO THE STRUCTURE OF THIS ORGANIZATION, YOU’RE GOING TO GET A LOT OF

DIFFERENT OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT PLAYERS WANT TO SEE. THERE ARE A LOT OF THOSE SAME OPINIONS LAST YEAR, AND WE GOT — YOU KNOW, AND THOSE ARE OPINIONS THAT WE TOOK INTO ACCOUNT AS WE DISSOLVED THE SYSTEM THAT WE’RE IN WITH SIGNATURE AND FULL-FIELD EVENTS.

YOU KNOW, WE’VE HAD — YOU KNOW, FOR ALL OF THE CRITICISM, AS YOU GET CRITICISM, YOU’LL ALSO HAVE PLAYERS, I WAS WALKING IN THE PARKING LOT TODAY AND BRIAN HARMAN PULLS UP IN HIS TRUCK AND SAYS HE NEEDS TO SPEAK TO ME. WALK TO THE CLUBHOUSE AND HE

SAID, I MEANT TO REACH OUT TO YOU LAST WEEK, HE SAYS, THE SIGNATURE EVENTS ARE AWKWARD EVERYTHING PUTTING US IN THE POSITION WHERE WE CAN PLAY AT A HIGHEST LEVEL, I FEEL A GREAT SENSE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT WHEN I’M AT THESE EVENTS.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT WE’RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH, WHAT I TALKED ABOUT UP FRONT. IF YOU HAVE 49 PLAYERS OUTSIDE OF THE TOM 50 THAT HAVE COMPETED, THE RETENTION RATE, THE FACT THAT IT PROJECTS, 20 PLAYERS WILL NOT BE IN THE TOP 50 NEXT YEAR.

AND YOU CONTINUE TO SEE PLAYERS WHO ARE PLAYING IN THE FULL-FIELD EVENTS COME FORWARD. AND NOW NUMBER A POSITION TO ACHIEVE AND EXCEPTL AT A VERY HH LEVEL, AS YOU WATCH THIS OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR, THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT I THINK ARE

VERY, VERY POSITIVE. PARTICULARLY AS YOU GET INTO THE REALITY OF THE FACT THAT PLAYOFFS ARE 70/50/30. AND THE SCHEDULE, THE SCHEDULE ITSELF IS 31 WEEKS WITH THREE WEEKS IN THE PLAYOFFS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF YOU GO BACK IN TIME, I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT

TO MAKE THIS POINT, IF YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT FANS HAVE BEEN SAYING TO US. AND WHAT — QUESTIONS THAT I GO BACK, I THINK THROUGH THE VARIOUS INTERACTIONS I’VE HAD WITH THE MEDIA, YOUR SEASON IS TOO LONG, IT NEVER ENDS. WHY ARE YOU COMPETING IN A

FEDEXCUP PLAYOFFS UP AGAINST THE START OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL? WHY ARE YOU — WHY DO YOU HAVE SUCH A CONFUSING FORMAT AT THE TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP? WHY ARE YOU NOT DOING MORE TO DIMENSIONALIZE YOUR PLAYERS AND YOUR STARS? WHY ARE YOU NOT SHOWING MORE GOLF SHOTS?

AND, YOU KNOW, YOU THINK ABOUT WHERE WE ARE NOW, WITH THE MOVES THAT WE MADE TO PLAY HERE IN MARCH. PGA CHAMPIONSHIP IN MAY. THREE FEDEXCUP PLAYOFF EVENTS THAT’S MADE IT EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE OUT HERE. WE — THE FALL ITSELF, WHERE PLAYERS ARE NOW PLAYING FOR

THEIR CARDS AND PLAYING FOR POSITIONING, THAT’S MADE THAT EVEN MORE — THE FALL EVEN MORE COMPETITIVE AND CONSEQUENTIAL. AGAIN, IT’S EARLY DAYS. BUT IF YOU THEN LOOK AT NETFLIX, AND IT’S IMPORTANT FOR EVERYONE TO REALIZE THAT WHEN WE PURSUED THE CONVERSATIONS WITH NETFLIX

IN 2019, THE PGA TOUR TOOK THE LEAD, WITH THE MAJOR CHAMPIONSHIPS, TO CONVINCE US AS AN INDUSTRY TO MOVE FORWARD TO DO THIS BECAUSE WE RECOGNIZED THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO SHOWCASE OUR ATHLETES. OBVIOUSLY, THE PANDEMIC, YOU KNOW, CAUSED A LITTLE BIT OF A

LAG THERE. BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT ELEMENT TO WHAT WE’RE DOING, COUPLED WITH THE INVESTMENT THAT WE’RE MAKING IN PRO SHOP, THE FACT WHEN IT WAS REPEALED IN 2018, WE WERE AT THE FOREFRONT MOVING FORWARD THOUGHTFULLY TO INTRODUCE GAMING INTO OUR SPORT. SO THE BUILDING THAT WE’RE

BUILDING OUT HERE. AND WHAT FLEXIBILITY THAT PROVIDES TO STORE-TELLING, SHOWCASING OUR STARS. TO LOOKING AT THE DP WORLD TOUR ALLIANCE. TO NOW HAVING TO TRANSITION OUR BUSINESS TO ONLINE A C-6 BUT A FOR PROFIT ENTITY THAT ALLOWS TO US INVEST BACK INTO A PRODUCT INTO OUR FANS.

I’M NOT — IT’S A REAL LONG WAY OF SAYING THAT WE ARE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO GROW AND EXPAND OUR FAN BASE. AND WE’VE DONE THAT IN THE ABSENCE OF THAT CAPITAL. WE NOW HAVE THAT CAPITAL AND

DETERMINATION TO CREATE REAL VALUE FOR THIS ORGANIZATION AS A FOR PROFIT COMPANY. I THINK THAT’S A POSITIVE THING FOR FANS. AND, SO, GOING BACK TO YOUR QUESTION, ON SIGNATURE EVENTS AND FULL-FIELD EVENTS, I THINK IT’S — YOU KNOW, LET’S CONTINUE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION.

BUT, YOU’VE GOT GREAT CHAMPIONS AS WE SIT HERE TEN WEEKS INTO IT. AND WE’VE ALSO HAD THE REALITY IS WE’VE HAD A LITTLE ANOMALY WITH THREE OF OUR SEVEN EVENTS BEING SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY WEATHER. AND THEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHERE

WE ARE YEAR TO DATE, YOU HAVE SIX PLAYERS LAST YEAR AT THIS POINT, HAD ONE THAT WERE IN THE TOP-20 OFFICIAL GOLF WORLD RANKING. THIS YEAR, WE HAVE TWO. LAST YEAR, YOU HAD ONE, THIS YEAR, FOUR. THE WINNER LAST YEAR, 16, THIS YEAR, IT’S AT 67.

THE POSITIVE TO THAT IS NEW PLAYERS AND NEW STARS ARE EMERGING. BUT THE REASON I SAY IT’S EARLY DAYS, THERE’S BEEN SOME FACTORS THAT, I THINK, HAV