It has been a tumultuous week in the golf world after the announcement that the PGA Tour, The DP World Tour and the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund were partnering to form one global golf organization.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has taken the brunt of the criticism since the announcement, as he has been against the Public Investment Fund and LIV Golf from the beginning, and this partnership feels like a 180° from the PGA Tour’s top leadership.
Monahan called for a player’s meeting on Tuesday evening at the RBC Canadian Open to answer questions and provide further information to the players about the agreement.
Suffice it to say, things were tense.
At one point, Grayson Murray, who has voiced his displeasure with the PGA Tour’s leadership before, stood up and told Monahan that, “We (the players) don’t trust you anymore,” and called for his resignation.
This prompted Rory McIlroy, who has been the most vocal player in his support for the PGA Tour and its leadership this far, to tell Murray to “play better” if he didn’t like the way the Tour’s rank and file were being treated.
Confirmed by multiple players:
Rory told Grayson Murray to “play better” during an exchange in the meeting.
😬😬
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) June 6, 2023
Murray responded with a “f— off” aimed at McIlroy.
Wesley Bryan, who was also present at the meeting, did confirm that there was no beef afterward and that the two players were “pleasant and cordial” toward each other.
Confirmed. They were cordial and pleasant post meeting. We chatted as a group of players and we were laughing about the comment. No beef or hard feelings either way
— Wesley Bryan (@wesleybryangolf) June 6, 2023
Murray was apparently not the only player to voice their displeasure with Monahan and the Tour.
“I’m glad I wasn’t Jay today,” Geoff Ogilvy said after the player’s meeting was let out. “There are some grumpy players in there. I feel a little bit sort of, not lied to, but just that the tour has sort of changed its position quickly and dropped it on us really fast. So maybe there’s a feeling of a lack of trust a little bit in the leadership.
“It just feels like nobody really knows what’s happening and the players are out of the loop. But no one really ever likes being out of a loop. You know, everyone likes a bit of information, and especially when it’s your livelihood and your job and the sport that you love.”
