PGA Tour will face reckoning for financial structure | Live From The Players | Golf Channel

The Live From crew reacts to Jay Monahan’s presser at The Players Championship and ponder the new financial realities coming to the tour. #GolfChannel #LiveFromThePlayers #PGATour
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PGA Tour will face reckoning for financial structure | Live From The Players | Golf Channel
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PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP, DAMON HACK ALONGSIDE NOTAH BEGAY III AND EAMON LYNCH. YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE LAST HOUR? >> NOT A LOT OF QUESTIONS CAN ANSWERED. I THINK IT WAS SORT OF A LOT OF AVOIDING ANY CLARITY, HAVING THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE SAID KIND OF INDIRECT.

SOME OF THE THINGS I TAKE ISSUE WITH, IN TERMS OF HAVING THE TRUST OR THE SUPPORT OF THE MAJORITY THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERSHIP, WHEN, IN FACT, ONE OF YOUR MOST INFLUENTIAL PLAYERS AND A FORMER PLAYER DIRECTOR IN RORY McILROY STEPS DOWN JUST RECENTLY, ISN’T

NECESSARILY A DEMONSTRATION OF CONFIDENCE. ESPECIALLY WHEN THAT’S SORT OF THE PLAYER THAT CARRIED YOU, HIM AND TIGER AND A HANDFUL OF OTHERS, CARRIED YOU FROM A PUBLIC STANDPOINT THROUGH THE DARKEST TIMES AS FAR AS THE PGA TOUR IS CONCERNED. THAT BEING SAID, I THINK AT THIS

POINT WE HAVE TO REALIZE THOSE PLAYERS, WE’RE NOT GOING TO GET A WHOLE LOT OF CONFIRMED ANSWERS BECAUSE OF THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS, AND I THINK THAT’S FAIR. >> IS IT FAIR? IS IT SCARY CONSIDERING THE ROAD TO JUNE 6th WAS PART OF THE

REASON THERE WAS SO MUCH ANGER. >> MAYBE NOT FAIR, BUT I THINK THAT’S SORT OF — THAT’S THE WAY IT’S GOING TO BE. I THINK THE INFORMATION WILL BE PRIVY TO A SMALL GROUP OF PEOPLE. HOPEFULLY THE PLAYER DIRECTORS NOW THAT ARE REPRESENTING BOTH

THE PGA TOUR INCORPORATED, PGA TOUR ENTERPRISES SIDE, SORT OF HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO PUT IN THE AMOUNT OF READING AND THE RESEARCH AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO LOOKING INTO HOW THESE DEALS ARE GOING TO BE STRUCTURED, BECAUSE THE LONG-TERM IMPACT COULD BE

SIGNIFICANT, BOTH GOOD AND BAD ON THE PLAYERS. AND I THINK IT’S SORT OF A WAIT AND SEE, EAMON. THE BEST THING THAT HAS HAPPENED, IN MY OPINION, IN — I GUESS, IN RESPONSE TO THIS RESTRUCTURING, IS THEY BROUGHT IN JOEL OGILVIE. VERY GOOD PLAYER, VERY GOOD PGA

TOUR WINNER, BUT A SOUND BUSINESSMAN AND CAN UNDERSTAND A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES. >> THAT DOES SPEAK TO ALL THE DIFFERENT CURRENTS MOVING THROUGH THE TOUR AS AN ORGANIZATION AT THIS POINT. I THOUGHT JAY MONAHAN WAS VERY — HE WASN’T EVASIVE, BUT

HE WAS FAR SHORT OF EXPANSIVE. HE SUNG THE RIGHT NOTES BUT NOT GIVING ANY DETAILS. THE EASY PART CAME EASY TO JAY MONAHAN, WHICH WAS JUST MAKING PROMISES TO FANS THAT HE’S HEARD THE COMPLAINTS, HE’S HEARD ABOUT WHAT THEIR MISSING IN THIS GAME RIGHT NOW.

HE’S DETERMINED TO DEAL WITH THAT. IT WAS NOTEWORTHY ON THE AREAS HE AVOIDED, SPECIFICALLY THE QUESTION ABOUT DIVISION ON THE BOARD. BECAUSE BOARD MEMBERS HAVE CALLED FOR OTHER BOARD MEMBERS TO LEAVE. JAY DID NOT ANSWER THAT QUESTION AT ALL. AROUND THE DEAL, IT WAS VERY

MUCH — IT’S NOT JUST THE SECRECY OF THE DEAL ITSELF, IT’S THE SOUND OF, HE’S OPTIMISTIC ABOUT IT, BUT HE’S NONCOMMITTAL. THERE WERE A LOT OF IFS, IF A DEAL CAN BE REACHED. I THOUGHT IT WAS NOTEWORTHY HE SKATED AROUND WHETHER TURNED OUT

TO BE THE MOST DIVISIVE ISSUE IN ALL OF THIS IS WHAT IS THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THE STRATEGIC SPORTS GROUP? ONCE YOU START DOWN THAT RABBIT HOLE, THAT’S WHERE EVERY ONE OF HIS CONSTITUENCIES, PLAYERS WHO ARE AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN

AND PLAYERS WHO ARE FURTHER DOWN, THEY’LL FIND A LOT TO COMPLAIN WHEN THAT NEW REALITY HITS. >> SO MANY UNKNOWNS, AS WE SIT HERE ON THIS TUESDAY, WHAT THE SCHEDULE WILL LOOK LIKE, PLAYER FIELD SIZES WILL LOOK LIKE, THE

POWER, THE VOICE OF THE PLAYERS THAT THEY’LL HAVE. MANY OF THEM CLAMORING FOR MORE CLARITY. THE COMMISSIONER DID SAY HE THOUGHT THAT THE BEST OUTCOME WAS A DEAL WITH THE PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND. AND THAT HAVING SSG WOULD ONLY MAKE THE PGA TOUR MORE

ATTRACTIVE IN SAID NEGOTIATIONS. >> WELL, MOST INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN TERMS OF MONEY ARE CAPITAL THAT’S COMING INTO YOUR IDEA OR YOUR CONCEPT OR YOUR COMPANY. THE LONGER RUNWAY YOU HAVE, THE BETTER. IT GIVES YOU MORE TIME TO CORRECT MISTAKES, INVEST IN NEW IDEAS, INNOVATION, MARKETING,

WHATEVER. THEY CAN OUTLAST THE PGA TOUR IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT CAPACITIES. SO I DON’T KNOW THAT IT’S NECESSARILY SORT OF SOMETHING THAT WAS AT THE TOP OF THE LIST, BUT I THINK IT’S A NECESSARY CONSIDERATION THAT HAS TO BE TAKEN UNDER THOROUGH EVALUATION

BY THE REPRESENTATIVES THAT ARE NOW LOOKING INTO BOTH THE INVESTMENT SIDE AND THE GOVERNANCE SIDE. SO, THEY BOTH HAVE TO BE SORT OF WEIGHED AND EVALUATED BEFORE SORT OF TAKING ANY MAJOR, MAJOR STEPS. GETTING BACK TO THE GOLF, IT’S NOW INSTEAD OF TOP 30, EAMON,

IT’S BECOME THE TOP 50 ON THE FEDEXCUP POINTS. IF YOU INSERT YOURSELF INTO A SIGNATURE EVENT STATUS, YOU ARE BASICALLY GUARANTEED 16 EVENTS AT 20 PLUS MILLION POINTS, ELEVATED FEDEXCUP POINTS. THAT’S JUST A NEW — I THINK THAT’S GOING TO BE THE NEW

REALITY IN TERMS OF BACK WHEN I WAS PLAYING IT WAS THE TOP 30 GOT YOU INTO NINE EVENTS. THE WGC EVENTS, THE MAJORS AND THE PLAYERS. AND YOU WERE PLAYING — IT’S SIMILAR, JUST THE GAME’S CHANGED A LITTLE. IT’S STILL A MERITOCRACY TO SOME

POINT AND IT WILL REWARD GOOD PLAY. >> THIS RECKONING ON THE FINANCES OF THE GAME HAS TO EXTEND BEYOND THE TOP PLAYERS AND WHAT THEY ARE PERCEIVED TO BE WORTH AND EXTEND ALL THE WAY DOWN THE FOOD CHAIN. WE’RE AT MARCH 12th.

11 EVENTS INTO THE YEAR. 45 PLAYERS HAVE ALREADY MADE MORE THAN $1 MILLION THIS YEAR. LAST YEAR IT WAS 139 FOR THE SEASON, IT WAS 96 TEN YEARS AGO. THESE ARE ALL TO THE EXCEPTION OF THE GOLFERS ON THE PGA TOUR BUT THAT’S A LOT OF MONEY FOR

GOLF THAT’S JUST OKAY. ONCE YOU START TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT, WHERE IS THE STREAMLINING OF A TOUR, BE IT A SMALLER TOUR, THERE ARE A LOT OF GUYS OUT THERE WELL COMPENSATED FOR PLAY, GRINDING FOR A LIVING

UNDER THE CURRENT RULES OF THE GAME, BUT ARE THEY ADDING TO THE BOTTOM LINE OF THE PRODUCT? IF WE’RE GOING TO SEE THIS AS LESS OF A LEGACY SPORT AND MORE OF A BUSINESS PRODUCT, WHICH IS VERY MUCH THE TENOR OF JAY MONAHAN’S PRESS CONFERENCE

THERE, HOW DO THEY BUILD REVENUE? HOW DO THEY CONSOLIDATE THE CORE PRODUCT? WHERE DO THEY CUT THE BLOATED? PLAYERS WOULD LIKE TO THINK ALL THE BLOAT IS OVERPAID EXECUTIVES ACROSS THE STREET AT HEADQUARTERS. THERE’S A LOT OF BLOAT FROM TOP TO BOTTOM IN THIS ORGANIZATION,

AND A LOT IS PLAYERS WHO WOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED ADDITIVE TO THE OVERALL PRODUCT OF THE TOUR. THAT’S A TOUGH RECKONING THAT’S GOING TO COME. IT’S COMING FROM THE TOP PLAYERS AS WELL. LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO FORMULA ONE, PRIVATE EQUITY TOOK OVER THERE.

THOSE GUYS ARE WORKED LIKE PACK MULES OUT THERE TO DO TO DRIVE-BYES WITH SPONSORS, FURTHER ENGAGE FANS, CREATE CONTENT. A LOT OF GUYS OUT HERE THINK THE ONLY THING THEY HAVE TO DO TO PICK UP A PAYCHECK IS PLAY WELL

FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS AND MAKE THE CUT AND I THINK THE NEW REALITY IS GOING TO CHANGE FOR EVERYONE. >> AS WE WATCH RORY McILROY, WHO A FEW DAYS AGO TALKED ABOUT A MORE CUT-THROAT PGA TOUR. HE THE PAST CHAMP. WE’RE SEEING HIM RIGHT BEHIND

OUR SET HERE AT 17. AS HE TRIES TO WIN THIS GREAT CHAMPIONSHIP FOR A SECOND TIME. AND THAT’S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS. WHAT WILL THIS NEW-LOOK PGA TOUR LOOK LIKE GOING FORWARD? WILL IT BE JUST A SMALLER, MORE CUT-THROAT TOP, TOP, TIPPY TOP

PLAYERS OR WILL IT BE A LARGER FIELD THAT ALLOWS FOR A LARGER, YOU KNOW, VARIATION IN THE LEVEL OF PLAYERS? >> I DON’T DAR– I DON’T THINK WAS MORE CUT-THROAT. THAT MAY BE A LITTLE OUT OF CONTEXT THERE. CERTAINLY I THINK A LITTLE MORE

TURNOVER IN TERMS OF YOUNGER PLAYERS,