Jay Monahan Says PGA Tour 'Moving On' From Saudi League Threat, Declines to Say if Phil Mickelson is Suspended

The PGA Tour commissioner addressed the media on a variety of topics in advance of the Players Championship.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Phil Mickelson has yet to speak to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in the wake of critical comments and his involvement with a rival league being fronted by Greg Norman.

But it appears that will be required to do so before he returns to competition.

While declining to say if Mickelson has been suspended, Monahan referenced the Hall of Fame golfer’s own words in which he said two weeks ago that he needed to take some time away.

Monahan, addressing the media prior to this week’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, made it clear in his opening remarks that “the PGA Tour is moving on" after considerable disruption this year caused by LIV Golf Investments, which has been attempting for months to put the pieces together for a rival tour with large, guaranteed paydays and no-cut events.

The rival league, which has yet to be named, is to be run by Norman, who in October was named commissioner. It is backed by the Public Investment Fund, which is run by the Saudi Arabian government.

Mickelson was highly critical of the Tour, referring to its “obnoxious greed" in a Golf Digest interview and later was quoted in a Fire Pit Collective story in which he acknowledged the human rights issues with Saudi Arabia that it was worth it to engage with them in order to provide leverage against the PGA Tour.

Also reported was that Mickelson helped Norman and LIV Golf with its business plan.

As part of his opening remarks, Monahan noted that the Tour is “about legacy, not leverage" — seemingly a retort to Mickelson.

“I have not talked to Phil since he made his comments and since he said that he was stepping away," Monahan said. “I think the ball is in his court. I would welcome a phone call from him. But it’s hard for me to talk about the different scenarios that could play out."

Mickelson, 51, won the PGA Championship last May, becoming the oldest major champion in history and nailing down his legacy as one of the game’s top players. It was his sixth major title and 45th PGA Tour victory. When the age minimum for induction was lower, Mickelson went into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.

To start 2022, Mickelson missed cuts at the American Express Championship and the Farmers Insurance Open before finishing tied for 18th at the Saudi International, an Asian Tour event backed by the Public Investment Fund. It is there where he spoke to Golf Digest. Mickelson has not played since and his absence from the Players Championship is the first time he has skipped the Tour’s flagship tournament since 2003, when his wife, Amy, was due with the couple’s third child.

“Listen, he’s a player that’s won 45 times on the PGA Tour," Monahan said. “He’s won here at the Players Championship (in 2007). He’s inspired a lot of people and helped grow this Tour, his Tour.

“So as difficult as it is to read some of the things that we said, ultimately a conversation will be had when he’s ready to have it, and I will be ready to have it as well.’’

Pressed on whether Mickelson had been suspended or if he would have been welcome to compete at the Players Championship this week, Monahan said: “He stepped away on his own accord, and he’s asked for time. He’s been given that time. We don’t comment on disciplinary matters, potential matters or actual matters. But every player is accountable for their actions out here."

Conversations surrounding a new league had been taking place for several years, with the Saudi involvement coming to the forefront last spring. Norman, who in 1993-94 tried to start a World Golf Tour when he was at the top of his game, was officially announced in October, with some general plans released.

Related: What to Know about Rumored Saudi Arabian Breakaway Golf League

The new league would offer $20-million purses with 54-hole events and no cuts and a team concept that would see 12 “owners’’ who pick the remaining three members of the team. A 48-player individual event would be conducted while the teams also compete for a separate prize. Approximately 10 of potentially 14 tournaments would be played in North America.

Monahan has made it clear in the past that PGA Tour players would not be permitted to compete in the potential league and that doing so would end their status as Tour members. He has also said players could be banned from future membership, a point Norman took issue with in a recent letter to Monahan, suggesting a legal fight could ensure.

The subject was the first thing Monahan addressed Tuesday.

“The PGA Tour is moving on,’’ he said. “We have too much momentum and too much to accomplish to be consistently distracted by rumors of other golf leagues and their attempts to disrupt our players, our partners, and most importantly our fans from enjoying the Tour and the game we all love so much.

“I am grateful for the strong support our top players have shown recently and publicly, and I’m extremely proud that we’ve turned the conversation around to focus on what we do best: delivering world-class golf tournaments with the best players to the best fans, all while positively impacting the communities in which we play.

“We are and we always will be focused on legacy not leverage.’’