PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, who has received much criticism over the past few years, will earn more than $23 million in 2023. sportico.
His 2023 base salary is just seven figures, officially listed at $1,887,096. However, after factoring in bonuses, additional compensation and non-cash benefits, his take-home pay balloons to $23 million, about $4.5 million more than he received in 2022.
Since then, Monaghan has been at the forefront of the PGA Tour's ongoing split with LIV Golf, a circuit funded by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). When LIV Golf was launched in early summer 2022, the tour responded by indefinitely suspending defectors. Lawsuits between the two countries have also surfaced, as have questions about Saudi Arabia's morality and questionable history of human rights abuses.
Monaghan famously asked this question while appearing next to Jim Nantz during the final round broadcast of the 2022 RBC Canadian Open.Have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?This is, of course, a reference to the Kingdom's ties to the September 11 attacks, as 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. As a result, families of 9/11 victims and many others blamed the players who participated in LIV from the beginning. Monaghan turned to those families for support and vice versa.
But one year later, on June 6, 2023, Monaghan and several other PGA Tour officials announced a framework agreement with PIF. The deal was settled behind closed doors, shocking the golf world and angering many. Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm admitted they felt betrayed, while Rory Muckleroy confessed he felt like a “sacrificial lamb.” The deal made Monaghan look like a “hypocrite” as a wide range of sports fans couldn't understand how the PGA Tour's chief executive could change his tune so quickly.
Monaghan, who faced intense scrutiny, took a leave of absence in the summer of 2023, citing health issues. His medical leave coincided with a July 11, 2023, hearing on Capitol Hill where a Senate subcommittee launched an investigation into the deal. The subcommittee's main concern was Saudi Arabia's business ambitions in the United States. They were also concerned about its extensive track record of oppressing its people, opposing freedom, and spreading conflict within the Middle East.
However, despite all the opposition from inside and outside Parliament, the framework agreement between the Tour and the PIF did not collapse. Instead, the two sides continue to work toward a concrete agreement that would reunite the PGA Tour and LIV golfers. However, Monaghan, the Tour and PIF have been in talks for the better part of 18 months with no clear solution in sight. Monaghan also did not provide any specific updates, only adding a word about the status of his contract at the Tour Championship in August.
Monaghan then played golf with PIF Governor Yasir Al Rumayan at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in October. However, no concrete reports regarding the agreement emerged from this meeting.
Bloomberg recently reported PIF could sign a contract with the DP World Tour, but it is unclear how that would affect pending negotiations with the PGA Tour.
Nevertheless, even amid these strains, the tour still generated $1.82 billion in revenue and $2.52 billion in non-inventory asset sales, bringing its 2023 revenue to $4.33 billion. I did.
For comparison, The NFL generated approximately $20.5 billion.According to Sportico newspaper. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will earn $64 million in 2023. front office sports.
Major League Baseball's Rob Manfried makes about $25 million a year, including bonuses, and he and Goodell are the only commissioners in American professional sports who make more money than Monahan.
Meanwhile, Adam Silver and Gary Bettman, who oversee the NBA and NHL, reportedly earn about $10 million a year. sportico.
However, MLB, NBA, and NHL generated more revenue than the PGA Tour in 2023.
To be sure, these executives never had to deal with a sovereign wealth fund threatening the league's survival. But Monahan's more than $23 million is pretty impressive compared to the salaries of other players in the four major leagues in American sports.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
