Responding swiftly to the demands of 41 professional golfers, led by Tiger Woods, the PGA Tour announced changes to its governance, including adding Woods to its influential policy board.
Saying the sport is at a crossroads, 41 players sent a letter Monday to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan demanding more say in the future of the tour. The group, which also included Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, asked for Woods to be appointed immediately to the policy board and an immediate review of the tour’s governance structure.
The tour agreed Tuesday, adding Woods to its board and saying the new arrangement will “ensure that the TOUR lives up to its mission of being a player-driven organization, ‘for the players, by the players.’ ”
“This is a critical point for the Tour, and the players will do their best to make certain that any changes that are made in Tour operations are in the best interest of all Tour stakeholders, including fans, sponsors and players,” Woods said in a statement. “The players thank Commissioner Monahan for agreeing to address our concerns, and we look forward to being at the table with him to make the right decisions for the future of the game that we all love. He has my confidence moving forward with these changes.”
The tour has been under fire from its membership for striking a deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund, the deep-pocketed benefactors of LIV Golf, and keeping golfers in the dark on the negotiations until after the agreement was publicly announced June 6. While the tour has sought to assuage player grievances, golfers have been working behind the scenes on ways to address their myriad concerns.
Monday’s letter is the biggest collective action to date from the golfers, with Woods serving as a the primary signatory. The letter does not address whether the players approve of the Saudi deal, and is focused on the tour’s leadership. Adding Woods to the policy board, though, would tilt the board’s numbers – which would include six players and five nongolfers as voting members – and effectively could give PGA Tour players final say on whether a deal with the Saudi investors gains approval.
In a statement, Monahan praised Woods’ “voice and leadership” and that his involvement “at this crucial time is even more welcomed and impactful.”
“I am committed to taking the necessary steps to restore any lost trust or confidence that occurred as a result of the surprise announcement of our Framework Agreement,” Monahan said.
Tour officials met last Wednesday with the player advisory council, and Monahan sent a letter to tour members afterward announcing some initial concessions designed to give the golfers a bigger voice as negotiations progress on a final deal with the Saudi PIF.
Patrick Cantlay and Webb Simpson were named to a four-person committee to fill a vacant spot on policy board, which is intended for “an independent director.” And golfer Jason Gore will serve as an executive vice president with the tour and also take on the title of “chief player officer,” working directly with Monahan.
Gore also will be part of a three-person task force, working alongside two tour executives to develop “potential pathways back to the PGA TOUR for LIV players who wish to reapply in the future,” according to Monahan’s letter to players. The commissioner also said the tour is working on a “player benefit program” that would reward players who remained loyal to the PGA Tour while LIV Golf was building its roster. The program would be “financially significant,” Monahan said.
Players have grown increasingly frustrated with tour leadership since the basic agreement was announced, blindsiding even the most high-profile golfers. A spot on the policy board opened up last month when Randall Stephenson, the longtime AT&T executive, resigned, saying he had “serious concerns” with the Saudi deal and urging the tour to “comprehensively rethink its governance model.”
The players’ letter to Monahan included adding Woods as a sixth golfer to the policy board, in addition to filling Stephenson’s seat, which would give the board 11 voting members and a majority voice to the players. A 12th position on the board – PGA of America Director John Lindert – is a nonvoting position.
The initial agreement between the Saudis and the tour was largely negotiated by two independent directors of the board: Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy, the board chair. Players in their letter said a review of the tour’s governance is necessary to ensure that two directors would not have the ability to bind the board to any final deal without approval by the players.
“The players and Commissioner Monahan will work together to amend the Policy Board’s governing documents to make it clear that no major decision can be made in the future without the prior involvement and approval of the Player Directors,” the tour said in its statement Tuesday.
In his message to players last week, Monahan also appointed Colin Neville from Raine Group as a “third-party adviser” to the golfers who will be “help move all deal conversations forward with utmost efficiency and confidence.”
In the golfers’ letter Monday, they demanded that Neville be kept fully apprised on negotiations with the Saudi PIF and be given access to documents and information he needs.
The letter was signed by many of the tour’s top players, including Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Jason Day, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott, Collin Morikawa, Tony Finau and Justin Thomas. It also was signed by the five player directors on the policy board: McIlroy, Cantlay, Simpson, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati.
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