LIV’s PGA Tour Commissioner: ‘It’s product versus product’

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said Sunday that two rival leagues would go their separate ways in 2024, even though the PGA Tour is still trying to develop plans to revamp its organization. I explained the situation I was in.

“We’re in the product-to-product phase now,” Monahan says.

He spoke in public for the first time since the Tour Championship in August, outlining a schedule of top tournaments in 2023 with an average prize pool of $20 million.

The PGA Tour kicked off the year in Kapalua for the Sentry Tournament of Champions. LIV Golf, the Saudi-funded league launched by Greg Norman in June, finished its first year with eight tournaments.

LIV Golf will not resume until February 23-26 at the Mayakoba Golf Resort in Mexico, which has hosted PGA Tour events annually since 2007.

Including bonuses, Dustin Johnson earned just over $35.6 million across eight events.

Since the Tour Championship, the PGA Tour has suspended six players, including British Open champions Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann, for signing contracts with LIV Golf. Smith would have been his champion defending at Kapalua this week.

Outside the ropes is the issue of LIV’s antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour and the Tour’s counterclaim against LIV. The first lawsuit, filed in August, is not scheduled to go to trial until January 2024, with a deadline set for filing summary judgment at the end of June.

Monaghan said he can only pay attention to what the PGA Tour is doing.

“We have a schedule. We lay it out and it just keeps getting better and better,” Monaghan said. It remains the most competitive and ambitious tour.

“What they have is very different from what we have,” he said. “We’re on our way and they’re on theirs.”

LIV Golf is known for its shotgun starts with no cuts in the 54-hole event, combining individual scores in 12 four-man teams. The circuit is still awaiting an announcement as to whether it will receive points from the official World Golf Rankings.

Aside from the challenge from LIV Golf, the Tour is working on a restructured schedule, with players expecting more than a decade of staying power. The key player is calling this year his bridge to 2024.

The main idea is to bring in the best players more often so fans know better who is playing where. must attend all events.

There is also a push to smaller fields. The Sentry Tournament of Champions is the first of his five events this year without a cut. Another is match play in Texas, which could be the last leg, and he’s three in the FedEx Cup postseason event.

Even with a limited field for the upgraded event in 2024, Monaghan said he still feels it’s important to have a cut.

“I’ve always felt that cuts are important to this sport,” he said. “Depending on where you end up on the field, it’s definitely something to consider.”

Monaghan said he plans to announce his fall schedule as early as March during the Players Championship. He expects some players to be a chance to secure status for 2024, and even top players may want to compete.

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