Jay Monahan is set to walk out of the PGA Tour as its commissioner in 2026 when his contract ends. When he walks out of the American circuit after almost a decade, the new PGA Tour CEO, Brian Rolapp, will take his place. Sure, he might be a little hesitant in answering his future and career post PGA Tour, “I’m going to run through the finish line and then I’ll figure that out,” but the golf world will remember his legacy. Or, at least, the controversies the PGA Tour faced under his leadership.
Here’s a look at five of Jay Monahan’s most controversial moments as the PGA Tour commissioner.
Suspension of Tour deserters and the follow-up lawsuit
Perhaps Jay Monahan’s biggest headache started with a 2021 rumor that a “Super Golf League” funded by Golf Saudi would form in 2022. This speculation quickly escalated into reality with the official launch of LIV Golf in October 2021. In a memo, Monahan emphasized the PGA Tour’s commitment to safeguarding its players and brand. Consequently, this led to the suspension of 17 players who chose to participate in LIV Golf’s inaugural event, igniting a fierce debate about player autonomy and the Tour’s authority.
In the wake of these suspensions, eleven players filed a lawsuit against the PGA Tour, claiming it was engaging in a “carefully orchestrated plan to defeat competition.” In late August 2022, the legal team added LIV Golf as a plaintiff, while many players withdrew from the lawsuit. The PGA Tour retaliated with a countersuit, accusing LIV of tortious interference. Then, in June 2023, both organizations dropped the litigation, marking a pivotal moment in a year-long legal struggle. Following this came another controversy on Jay Monahan’s hands: the 2023 Framework Agreement.
2023 Framework Agreement and a lack of transparency at the Tour
On June 6, 2023, the golf community was taken aback when news broke about secret negotiations that led to a “framework agreement” between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. The world couldn’t help but ask, All that drama and for what? Initially described as a “merger,” the arrangement later clarified itself as an alliance among the three entities. Consequently, this unexpected turn of events created a sense of dissonance within the American golf circuit.
Players like Xander Schauffele voiced skepticism. In 2024, Schauffele remarked, “Trust is something that’s pretty tender, so words are words, and I would say in my book he’s got a long way to go.” As the deadline approached, anticipation grew, but ultimately, two years later, no substantial progress had emerged toward finalizing the agreement. Maybe if Jay Monahan had been honest about this move, Schauffele wouldn’t have called for a change in Tour leadership.
Signature events and the ultimate dissatisfaction
To retain its players from leaving the PGA Tour for LIV, which offered lucrative contracts, the PGA Tour introduced a lineup of 36 tournaments in 2023, including eight signature events, also referred to as designated events. This marked the first calendar-year schedule update since 2012. The signature events featured larger purses, with each offering at least $20 million, and smaller field sizes, encouraging the best players in the world to compete against each other more frequently.
The signature events reignited fresh controversy this season after Erik Van Rooyen, the runner-up of the 2025 CJ CUP Byron Nelson, remarked, despite claiming a spot in the Truist Championship (a signature event), “I hate it. I strongly believe that the strongest fields are the ones with the most players in them. The guys on the PGA Tour are so good. It’s so deep.”
Erik van Rooyen was asked about qualifying for next week’s $20 million, no-cut Truist Championship via the Aon Swing 5, and he responded:
“How honest do you want me to be?”
He then continued: “I hate it (laughter). I strongly believe that the strongest fields are the ones with… pic.twitter.com/psFxTACUnj
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) May 4, 2025
Sweeping changes to eligibility criteria at the Tour
In November 2024, the PGA Tour policy board approved significant changes to the eligibility criteria, marking the first reduction of playing cards since the all-exempt Tour began in 1983. Starting in 2026, only the top 100 players in the FedEx Cup standings will secure full status for the following year. This shift aims to ensure that players with a PGA Tour card have enough opportunities to compete and maintain their status.
Additionally, the board reduced field sizes for certain tournaments to a maximum of 144 players instead of 156 and eliminated four restricted sponsor exemptions, reallocating them to the alternate list. Consequently, over 170 players with cards will compete for a spot in the top 100 next year, creating a more competitive environment. Furthermore, the Tour will award only 20 cards to the Korn Ferry Tour and prioritize players based on performance, making it increasingly challenging to secure a PGA Tour card.
Tour Championship and the starting stroke format
“The FedEx Cup is not a tournament. The Tour Championship is now for the FedEx Cup. So when you make that transition, you have to recognize that there are 45 weeks and 45 tournaments that precede it. As we make this transition, I think you have to take a longer perspective on it,” said Jay Monahan on the changed Tour Championship format in 2019. Introduced in 2019, the starting-strokes format allowed the points leader to begin the tournament with a significant advantage, starting at 10 under par, while other players started at lower scores.
This approach faced criticism from top players, including Scottie Scheffler, who argued that it felt gimmicky and undermined the integrity of a season-long competition. However, six years down the line, Jay Monahan & co. eventually announced a major change in the format. Starting in 2025, all 30 players in the Tour Championship will begin at even par in a traditional stroke-play format. This change reflects feedback from fans who expressed a desire for winning scores to be closer to par.
With Jay Monahan now set to leave his position on the PGA Tour, which of these decisions do you think was the most controversial?
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