GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA | The level of player frustration over the PGA Tour’s unexpected agreement to enter into discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund regarding a potential working relationship was drawn into sharper focus Tuesday with the announcement that Tiger Woods has joined the tour’s Policy Board.
According to reports, 41 tour players, including Woods, Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm, sent a letter to commissioner Jay Monahan stating their desire to make Woods a sixth player representative on the board while also changing the tour’s governance structure to assure players have more input and information on tour matters.
A tour news release Tuesday morning read:
“Player leaders joined together to uphold the Tour’s core principles and ask that certain steps be taken immediately, and Monahan has agreed to support the players and their requests.
“First, 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.
“Second, the Player Directors’ Special Advisor, Colin Neville, will be fully aware of the state of the negotiations contemplated by the Framework Agreement, and, as such, Neville will be provided with full access to any documents or information that he requests as being necessary for him to carry out his duties on behalf of the players.
“Accordingly, the Player Directors will have full transparency and the authority to approve – or to decline to approve – any potential changes to the Tour as part of the Framework Agreement discussions.”
“I think (Tiger Woods) takes it seriously that he is going to be a part of paving the way for the future and the current, I don’t know if you want to call it structure or whatever of the PGA Tour.” – Justin Thomas
The changes are meant to address the impact of the secret agreement forged by Monahan and Policy Board members Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne with representatives of the PIF without informing the other Policy Board members or players.
Many players said they felt blindsided and betrayed by the decision after the acrimonious battle between the tour and LIV Golf. Monahan’s future as commissioner has been called into question along with the viability of any potential detailed agreement between the tour and the PIF.
Adding Woods to the Policy Board – which features players McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Webb Simpson, Charley Hoffman and Peter Malnati along with independent directors Dunne, Herlihy, Mark Flaherty, Mary Meeker and PGA of America president John Lindert (with a sixth seat vacant after Randall Stephenson’s resignation related to the recent negotiations) – speaks to the gravity of the players’ concerns.
Woods was instrumental in crafting what became the designated tournament model for 2023, and his willingness to join the Policy Board suggests his concerns about the direction of the tour. Woods, 47, has not competed since he withdrew after seven holes of the third round of the Masters, citing plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He made only two starts in 2023 as he continued to struggle with the effects of multiple surgeries on his right leg, which was mangled in a single-vehicle rollover crash in early 2021.
“I think he takes it seriously that he is going to be a part of paving the way for the future and the current, I don’t know if you want to call it structure or whatever of the PGA Tour,” said Justin Thomas, one of the 41 players who signed the letter to Monahan.
“I think especially with him not playing as much now, I know he has a little bit more time than if he was playing a full season, full schedule. He takes the future of the PGA Tour very seriously, and he wants it to be in the best hands possible and it to be in the best position possible.”
For Monahan, who sent a detailed memo to players last week addressing the status of the ongoing negotiations as well as the tour’s decision not to endorse the proposed rules changes related to distance, it appears the most recent moves were forced upon him.
Monahan expressed support for the moves while acknowledging the challenge facing him.
“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,” he said. “My job in the negotiations – in partnership with our player directors, PAC and the broader membership – is to advocate for what is best for the PGA Tour members today and in the future. Any agreement we reach must be shaped by our members’ input and approval earned through our player directors.”
By rewriting the governance guidelines for the tour, it is evident that the players are demanding more input and restructuring how their business operates.
“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.” – Tiger Woods
Adding Woods at the center is a major adjustment and, in a statement, he expressed his support for Monahan.
“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,” Woods said. “He has my confidence moving forward with these changes.”
Thomas says it’s an important next step.
“I think it’s very obvious last year that a pretty good amount of us were frustrated and taken back with how some things took place,” he said.
“We were just kind of put in a funky or tough position with how stuff was handled in the past. We want to have a say of what’s going on, because it is our tour as well, and how it’s structured and how it looks is important to us. So, we would like to have a little bit of a say-so on how that looks.”