Jay Monahan’s Players Press Conference – PGA Tour, PIF, Jon Rahm & More | The First Cut Podcast

The First Cut crew discusses Jay Monahan’s presser at The Players Championship.

#golf #pgatour #golfoncbs #firstcutpodcast #theplayerschampionship #golfdfs #pgadfs #golfpicks

—
SUBSCRIBE TO THIS CHANNEL: https://youtube.com/FirstCutPodcast

Get your First Cut merch here: https://paramountshop.com/collections/the-first-cut-golf

AUDIO
‘First Cut’ is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and wherever else you listen to podcasts.

You can listen to First Cut on your smart speakers! Simply say “Alexa, play the latest episode of The First Cut Golf podcast” or “Hey Google, play the latest episode of The First Cut Golf podcast.”

-LISTEN to First Cut on your preferred podcast platform: https://plnk.to/TheFirstCut
-LEAVE a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2VOeKVW
-STREAM on Spotify: https://sptfy.com/firstcut
-FOLLOW on Stitcher: https://bit.ly/34b073I
-SUBSCRIBE on Google Podcasts: https://bit.ly/3oOvDfD
-SUBSCRIBE to CBS Sports variety of other podcasts: https://cbssports.com/podcast
VIDEO

-WATCH CBS Sports HQ: https://cbssports.com/live

-SUBSCRIBE to CBS Sports HQ on YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/CBSSportsHQ/
WEBSITE

-READ top-notch golf content from CBS Sports: https://cbssports.com/golf/

SOCIAL MEDIA
-FOLLOW First Cut on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FirstCutPod
-FOLLOW First Cut on Instagram: https://instagram.com/firstcutpod/
-FOLLOW Golf on CBS on Twitter: https://twitter.com/GolfonCBS
-FOLLOW Golf on CBS on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/golfoncbs/
-FOLLOW Golf on CBS on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@golfoncbs?lang=en

ABOUT THE SHOW: The First Cut brings you everything you need to know in the world of professional golf. Nearly every day Rick Gehman, Kyle Porter, Mark Immelman, Greg DuCharme, Sia Nejad and Patrick McDonald bring you the best analysis in the game. From DFS to betting previews, interviews and recaps… everything golf is on the table when you listen to The First Cut.

Silver backs to Silver foxes Jay Monahan had a press conference today for the first time since the Tour Championship that was in August and he had a prepared statement he answered some questions most of them coming around the piff to be or not to be uh I know all three of

Us or all four of us were were tied into this uh Greg we’ll we’ll start here with you uh I’ve got the takeaways I’ve got some significant quotes from from Jay in regards to uh any potential relationships with piff and everything else but is there a certain spot you want to start anything

That stood out to you well I’ll start with just a general kind of overview I think there are some specifics that you need to get into but as I walk away from this press conference it just feels like an incredibly difficult spot for J Monahan this feels like like he is

Getting pulled in a thousand different directions and what people want from him is not possible so he want people want transparency but we’re in the middle of a negotiation and we can’t share any details um they want to know what it’s going to look like with SSG but that’s

Brand new and we really don’t know what that’s going to look like yet um so those conversations are going on and we can’t really release those details so at every uh at every question that’s asked the big questions that we all want to know the answers to there are no answers

At this point and that’s an extremely difficult position to be in and then you add to that you have 200 members of the PGA Tour like we talked about on I believe on Sunday they all seem to want different things and that becomes extremely challenging as well so it felt

To me as I leave this like this is a bad time for this kind of press conference and it’s been a bad time for this kind of press conference for the last year and a half maybe more I mean it feels like forever so you know what is this TOUR Championship press

Conference going to look like I feel like the can has been kicked down the road and we’re kind of in the exact same position that we were before the press conference which is unfortunate um and it’s unfortunate for us it’s unfortunate for Jay because that’s not necessarily easy news to

Deliver the quote uh that Jay Monahan likes to use that refers to to what Greg is talking about quote you can’t you can’t negotiate a deal like this in public Patrick that’s basically saying uh no comment buzz off um I’ll let you know when when you need to know it seems

That he is still optimistic about a deal getting done with the PFF as well he said uh quote our negotiations are accelerating as we spend time together talking about his time with yaser they uh they went to Saudi Arabia I believe in January was what I saw so he he is

Still uh laying the foundation for for more Partnerships yeah that’s a very kind way of putting it I think Rick and Greg I agree that it’s a very difficult spot for Monahan but he really has no one to blame but himself I’m not talking about you know could he have

Answered the call earlier in his tenure I’m talking about the June 6th roll out where you roll out just a boatload of question marks and you don’t even know what you’re doing except getting a softball Q&A from Becky quick on CNBC with yoster by your side when when

You’re a leader you’re supposed to pretty much do two things provide a vision and provide answers and J Monahan has blurred both of those all while somehow working his way up the totem pole and now being the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises so it is a very difficult

Position you can’t negotiate a deal in public that’s known I know players are upset about that media members would like more answers absolutely but you can’t so I do feel jonan from that regard but at the end of the day it’s one person’s fault that he’s in this

Position and it’s Jay Monahans well that’s what I always found interesting KP is that I always thought at the very least there was a conflict of interest when you are negotiating to get yourself a new CEO job later on down the road that’s that’s just one part of it here’s

A here’s another quote though uh from Jay I do believe that negotiating a deal with the piff is the best outcome I think an ultimate deal would be in the best interest of the game and ultimately would be in the best interest of the tour it’s pretty explicit yeah I

Thought I I’ll get to the negative later I thought he was actually pretty optimistic and maybe even a little bit uh encouraging as it relates to the piff deal because you know you we’ve heard from tiger and and spe and some other guys over the last couple

Months and you reading between the lines you’re like I I don’t I don’t think they’re into this I think they’re like out on this actually and I thought Monahan was actually a lot more measured and pretty pretty good on the piff stuff um I think that might have been the only

Thing that he was decent I you know save me the like just buzzword salad of like unlocking Global Synergy or whatever whatever that was about now he did say Global which was that was that was right am I are you guys on me you’re echoing a little bit is it

Better now I don’t know yes okay sorry I think that was my fault that’s completely on me yes I thought um I did think that that was interesting that he said the word Global Because unless he thinks the PGA Tour is doing a great job of committing to the global

Game right now which he might but I think most people would think that they’re not yeah I don’t know I do do you want me to go negative or do you want to like go go back around again um go negative we’ll start with you we’ll just loop back around that way

Okay snake draft it uh negative he I thought his disposition sucked like I thought just it’s like man you only answer questions like two or three times a year and he’s like losing his cool and losing his patience with first of all people that have mostly defended the PGA TR for the last

Three years which is just like that feels kind of kind of crazy um he kind of lost it about the ROM thing um what was what was the other thing Patrick that he he got frustrated about do you remember uh it was an additional piff question you know concerns if piff if

What’s the scariest thing if piff doesn’t go through or something along those lines yeah and I get it like he’s he’s he got he got the same question like 10 times I I understand that you’re frustrated but I just and and you you don’t pick this up

Through a sound bite or through a a transcript if you read the transcript but Rick if you watch him for like 20 30 40 minutes he just he almost doesn’t even like his inflection points are all wrong like he he’s just and and I realize that that’s a

Very like woo woo like it doesn’t matter type thing but it kind of does like I don’t I don’t watch him and I don’t know that anybody watch him and thinks man I’m I’m I’m in on this guy like I want to follow this guy you know and and so

To me disposition matters I thought he was I thought there was just some huus in there some arrogance you know he got asked about Rah and it was like whatever like Players Championship strongest field in golf and you’re like I know you’re not the commissioner of

Professional golf but as a fan I’d love to hear like yeah it stinks that John ROM and cam Smith are not here and we’re really working hard to unify all these groups going forward because we’d love it if we had all the best players at the Players

Championship I I just wouldn’t that be pretty easy you’re too easy that’s the thing what what is like he’s had eight months he the last time he spoke in front of uh media members was eight months ago he had time what’s the pr strategy and if you’re bending no

Offense Kyle if you’re bending and getting frustrated by golf media I cannot even imagine the conversations and answers that took place in Saudi Arabia I’m sorry that that was that was funny uh yeah I mean I I think these guys are leaning heavily on SSG and you’re like I I hope

That works out for you you know I it just and and then the last the third thing and this is not a j Monahan issue it’s just a pro pro golf issue that we’ve talked about a million times is like we’re talking about all this stuff

And it’s like we’re not even he did we’re not even talking about the Pinnacle of the sport which is the majors like that’s not even mentioned in all this and it’s like that H like in the hierarchy of of all like the way that we even discuss this that has to

Sort of um contextualize everything else and it’s not even being discussed and there’s no I I’m not blaming Jay for that there’s no incentive for him to talk about the major championships on the week of the players but that’s just a broad like Pro Golf is broken type

Type take that was really kind of accentuated during his press conference Xander Schley Greg was uh pretty clear with how he feels about J Monahan he doubled down on basically what he said a couple of months ago he said uh trust is a tender thing and he’s

Got a long way to go referring to Jay Monahan regaining his trust I mean that’s top 10 player on your tour where the guy who’s in charge of the future of the tour and the future of the entity the new entity doesn’t have the trust of at least one

Guy ah you know what this one is uh frustrating in a couple ways to me one first and foremost like Rick you just mentioned that you shouldn’t be bending because of go questions from the golf media right what is Xander Schley complaining about I mean th think about that he he

Is playing in The Players Championship this week two years ago The Players Championship purse was the biggest in golf at what 125 million two years later for the second year in a row it’s at $25 million he has a chance to win $45 million this week playing

Golf playing a golf tournament what is the hu like what drives you to lose all this trust um things have gotten a lot better on the PGA tour if you’re a player they have not if you’re a fan they have if you’re a player Scotty Sheffer last year

Made what before bonuses what 21 million in official money I mean that’s a fifth of what Tiger Woods made in his entire career in one year so there’s a little bit there’s a there’s a big part of me that says hey let’s pump the breaks with these complaints if you’re a player like

We want to unite the game well the players on the PGA tour need to unite that’s first and foremost then when it comes to trust again I go back to what I said in earlier and let’s call them my opening remarks this difficult position that J mahad is in

How it it’s so difficult to regain trust when you can’t tell people what is happening now is there a leader in the world that could handle that I’m I’m sure there is but it’s a really hard thing to do like in everything that I’ve read about leadership uh and everything that I’ve

Experienced in my own life about leadership and and building trust being open and being honest are the number one ways to do it um you could argue the only ways to really do it and Jay’s in a position where the only way for him to be honest is to not be transparent he

Can’t give away details so if he’s going to keep and maintain the trust of the people he’s negotiating with or his board then in order to keep that trust he has to keep things close to the vest he can’t tell people things he can’t let things leak out whereas when he wants to

Build and regain trust with his players he has to tell them what’s going on right so you’re gonna break trust somewhere or you’re gonna gain trust somewhere and that’s a hard position to be in isn’t isn’t there Patrick and I agree with Greg yeah trust is

Transparent it is open it is honest even if you can’t divulge everything isn’t there a big difference between the complete 180 on of June 6 and not just coming out afterwards and saying listen guys I’m really sorry I had to do it that way I had to you know

Pull the wool over your eyes because I I’m I think this is the best path forward yes maybe I screwed up I’m sorry I can’t it’s just it’s just been unap unapologetically Brash uh ego I don’t know man it just really rubs me the wrong way first Greg cool down young

Man heat check heat check sir that was that was electric I agree with everything you just said as for now disagree with me as as for yeah build you up and then tear you down he he has you know for how arrogant he came across at some points today he

Has apologized for the roll out he apologized to Andrew Ross sorin at the deal book Summit uh he’s got the max sherzer eyes two different colors I watch him every morning on CNBC they’re getting a lot of run on this program yeah your homies is at CNBC you got

Affiliate links over there or what I wish I wish uh he he said sorry today I think Dan Rapaport asked him if he regretted anything he said June 6 for sure but look if he could go back in time and change everything and he said something

Along the lines he would and that’d be great but you can’t and because of that he has dealt this hand of the conundrum Greg just laid out of you need to be transparent you need to be trustworthy you need to build that trust back up from everyone on the PJ tour tour the

Entire membership from Rory mroy down to you know Joe Schmo whoever it might be uh you know probably like Jason duffner or someone uh and but but you can’t your hands are tied because if you do that you lose the trust of the businessmen that you’re working with so it’s an

Impossible situation that J Monahan is in but at the end of the day you know who he can blame for it J Monahan so there you have there’s just one one more thing I’d like to add on this will you consider June 6th um it also bothers me

That the players are so bothered by June 6 because the only thing that came out of June 6 was a lawsuit stopped and nothing else happened there’s a negotiation that’s apparently ongoing and it makes you uncomfortable because you don’t know what’s really going on but would it have been a

Terrible move look at this from 30,000 ft would it have been a terrible move to announce June 6th and do nothing with it and not get involved with the public investment fund if you’re the PGA Tour that has claimed the you know the gone down the human rights path with the

Public investment fund and you’re just kind of playing this I mean you’re at war with a foreign entity that is a Sovereign Nation right I mean they’re they’re doing business at a level that is far beyond what the PGA Tour is what professional golf or any professional

Sport is doing and so there’s some things that like you got to kind of let him play the game a little bit if you’re a player and sometimes in leadership you have to give people what they need not necessarily what they want and in my opinion looking at what the players have

Gotten as a result of all this they’ve gotten what they need they are the big winners here and I I know that they want trust but take a step back and understand the situation it’s not in the best interest of anybody to air all this out in public

So like what is it that you want him to do to regain your trust I I have a really hard time understanding in that last word KP if you want yeah what makes it more convoluted Greg is it’s not just it’s not just Monahan negotiating it’s the the players invol like tiger

Involved and he’s having to like sort of speak on behalf of Tiger but also be part like that that’s unenviable like that sucks that that’s very difficult you can lose me on all the Xander stuff like I’m good on that uh I I said this to Patrick earlier I the thing that

Really like first of all why is why does Xander why do why does Klay have a have a press conference why do either of those guys have press conferences top players on the PGA tour yeah exactly right I mean do something first of all second of all the thing that

Irritates me about Xander is you get these guys I mean he’s such a he’s such a lightweight when it comes to like the the TR like we talked about this with Taylor coch right uh if you’re Brooks kka you got you got five of them like

You can you can say some stuff and it has impact if you’re Xander and you’ve won like four team events and a Travelers like it you you don’t carry any weight it doesn’t matter it it is meaningless and yet not only does he say stuff but

He like all these guys say like oh well Jay’s lost some of the players trust and and there sort the implication is like I’m in that group that doesn’t trust him anymore Xander says oh you’ve Jay has personally lost my trust like he like he’s like the most important one in this

Whole thing and it’s like yeah I’m good on that like I’m I’m I’ve had enough of that