Premier Golf League: Jay Monahan makes a statement
By Jordan Perez
The name bears plenty of prestige. The announcements are bold and have grabbed the attention of golf fans and players everywhere. Plenty of money, from a partnership with the Raine Group, a global merchant banker and investments from other international financial entities are all allegedly chipping into the Premier Golf League venture.
But what does all of it mean? What could the Premier Golf League do?
The group has built plenty of anticipation through its promised $10 million dollar purses and authority in the hands of players. It surrounds itself in ambition-doused PR and public statements from the likes of Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson.
Now, Jay Monahan has some words of his own.
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The PGA Tour commissioner announced on Monday that given the Premier Golf League comes to fruition, PGA Tour members will have to choose between either organization to play for.
Current members received a letter from Monahan that stated the following:
"“If the Team Golf Concept or another iteration of this structure becomes a reality in 2022 or at any time before or after, our members will have to decide whether they want to continue to be a member of the PGA Tour or play on a new series.”"
The lucrative Premier Golf League is proposed to allow for 48 player fields in each of its 18 events, with a $5 million minimum purse allowance.
Time will tell as to whether or not the Premier Golf League has serious footing to stand on — as witnessed by the bankruptcy of the American Alliance of Football last year, tackling the establishment in sports doesn’t always go as planned. Currently, there are no endorsements from any professional golfers, broadcasting contracts, or any real corporate sponsorship.
But a condensed schedule and bigger purses are incredibly attractive — and Monahan is well aware of that. An initiative towards increasing the PGA Tour’s own purses has been made — and according to Sports Business Journal, the latest TV rights deal is slated to increase those purses by as much as 60%.
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Early predictions are useful, but the Premier Golf League has more questions than answers surrounding it — and just two short years to answer them for quite the undertaking. Is the Premier Golf League a meaningful venture, the change the golf world needs to regularly compete among major sports? Or is it simply an accident waiting to happen?