We are in danger of becoming desensitized to hypocrisy in the world of sports. Sure, in this heightened age of social media, people get called out and are held accountable. We have a short memory, though. Triumphs push an ugly sound bite further and further into the back of our brains. But no amount of good optics should be enough to overlook the hypocrisy displayed by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.
His legacy should be tarnished. Not necessarily because of the PGA's controversial merger with Saudi-backed LIV Golf- that is an issue to fully explore at another time. No, it is the grimy and reckless way in which Monahan reached this historic compromise that should leave fans fuming and players feeling betrayed. None more so than Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, the flag-bearers of what was a fierce crusade against the LIV Tour.
Now, all of their efforts and sacrifice have been completely invalidated by Monahan's “secretive” deal. The biggest star the game has ever seen and one of the best of his era, respectively, were both reportedly blindsided by the monumental merger. McIlroy learned of the news just hours before the unsuspecting public and most of the PGA Tour. The commish's life and job have no doubt been made easier by these two household names, and yet they were left in the dark.
We're just getting started. Let's dive all the way into this diatribe. Here is why Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and many other fans and players should be furious by how Jay Monahan and the PGA Tour handled this whole situation.
Woods and McIlroy deserved more of a heads-up
Obviously, these two guys are doing just fine. Their bank accounts should even get bigger now. Turning them into martyrs is a bit extreme. Woods is by no means a white knight. Everyone knows his past, even if the media decides to ignore it. Furthermore, he is already a billionaire and a permanent fixture of the PGA, so his decision to speak out against LIV was always practical. But McIlroy blazed right into the fire while peers of similar stature defected.
With Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau all opting for the easy money and Woods recovering from a car accident, Monahan found himself lacking for star power. The four-time major winner publicly and ardently defended the PGA's values. Thus, a rift formed with certain players, one that may never fully heal. McIlroy backtracked a bit in May, but he was the unquestioned leader in this dragged-out war with LIV Golf.
One has to wonder how profusely Jay Monahan thanked him for being a willing punching bag for the opposition. However much it was, now feels irrelevant after landing his own blow on McIlroy Tuesday morning.
Jay Monahan wrongly invoked 9/11 victims in fight with LIV
Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have cause to freeze out the commissioner just for being kept out of the loop, but they should find it difficult to share a room with Monahan after he used the memories of 9/11 victims in his attempts to thwart the LIV movement.
He stood by 9/11 Families United last year when he made heartfelt comments that immediately transcended the golf course, via Stephen Geiger. LIV vs. PGA was about morality in that moment. And yet, that did not factor into negotiations, which means Monahan essentially trampled on a group of people forever linked to the most devastating terrorist attack in American history.
Jay Monahan, Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, using 9/11 to shame players last year for taking life changing money from LIV…
Now, he has no problem with the money and merges LIV Golf with the PGA. Disgusting.pic.twitter.com/CUhIodZIpi
— Stephen Geiger (@Stephen_Geiger) June 6, 2023
No one knows what happened behind closed doors, or the immense pressure he and the PGA faced to work out a deal with Saudi Public Investment Fund governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. But neither these people nor that horrific day should be minimized.
Monahan incurred the players' wrath in what was reportedly a “heated” meeting, and he apparently even accepted being called a hypocrite. Good. Accountability is a poor consolation prize, though, considering he will still carry on, power and money in all.
There are many fences to mend, some irreparable. Even so, Jay Monahan just thrust all of golf into a new era that will be celebrated by many.
But Rory McIlRoy, Tiger Woods, and most importantly 9/11 Families United, should not allow the triumph of this new union to displace the inexcusable shamefulness of its origins.
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