State Of The Tour '21: Monahan Addresses Tiger, Vaccination, Mask Enforcement And Distance Issue

You know the old saying, if at first you don’t succeed, go on CNBC again!

For reasons unknown Commissioner Jay Monahan was booked on CNBC a year after the disastrous TV deal rollout as markets crashed. At least this time, the screen wasn’t soaked in red though the shine factor was better than most.

CNBC’s Joe Kernen is that guy who spends too much in the 19th hole grill, knows just enough to be dangerous and doesn’t really listen to answers. He’s the guy who asks how your Uncle Steve is doing, only to be informed Steve died in a fiery car crash, and then tells you an adorable story about how terrible of a cart driver Steve could be.

So if you want to squirm, the clip with Kernen repeatedly asking Monahan questions about Tiger Woods and not taking hints that little can be said at this point, here it is. The second clip isn’t working on the CNBC site, but it does contain one noteworthy remark from Monahan. He reveals a $160 million haul for charities in 2020, down from $200 million in a normal year.

More informative was his pre-Players press conference featuring some solid questions and answers.

On vaccinations, this approach was encouraging to hear and should have a positive impact if players participate:

Q. You mentioned in December that there would be no mandate for players to get vaccinated. I'm wondering with three now on the market, has there been any update or what's the plan with the vaccine being made available to players? Is there any sort of update on that front.

JAY MONAHAN: Well, we are certainly encouraged by the incredible progress that has been made with the vaccines, by virologists, and I think from our perspective right now, we're partnering with the National Ad Council, we're going to participate, alongside many other leagues, in an upcoming campaign around vaccination. We're going to do everything we can to educate all of our players on the facts behind vaccination.

And then, as it relates to being prepared, I think one of the unique things about our sport is that, while we're going to do everything when the time is right and when we're able to provide vaccination to have our players, caddies, their families, all of our constituents in a position to get it, our players also -- we got 94 players from 29 countries and territories, they live all throughout the world, so I think the most important thing right now is education, and then we're going to do everything we can to support vaccination for our players when it's appropriate to do so.

And while I have no idea what Golf Incorporated is nor do I want to, it’s good hearing him single-out layoffs as the most trying part of his last year:

Q. For you personally, I'm just wondering, outside of a year ago this week, what was your most trying moment during this last 11 plus months and what has been maybe your most triumphant or rewarding moment as you've carried on?

JAY MONAHAN: You know, I'll start with the positives. I think that the way that our sport came together and the way that sports in general came together. But you look at all the golf organizations that we partner with, I don't think there was ever a period of time where we worked more closely together, more honestly together, more directly together. Had a lot of hard conversations about what we thought we needed to do for our sport and we operated as, as I think you've heard several of us say, Golf Incorporated.

I think that served the game very, very well, and to see the game flourish as a result of that and see more people coming into our game, more people making golf their thing, and for the game to become more and more welcoming and inclusive in the process, I think big picture wise that's very positive.

I think there were a lot of challenging moments. It's hard to pick one, but as the leader of this organization when you have to let great people go and you have to furlough workers and you have to take some of the steps that we take, those are things that I'll never forget, and I still feel today. That's the kind of thing that'll always stay with you.

A mask enforcement question was needed given the obvious difference, at least on TV when fans were shown, between Scottsdale and Bay Hill:

Q. Last week at Bay Hill there were numerous people that were fans that weren't wearing masks, and though you have people out there asking these people to mask up, their responses are usually not polite when they say they're not going to. The question is, how do you enforce a program that seems to be almost unenforceable considering the amount of volunteers that are involved with the mask situation versus the people that are out there?

JAY MONAHAN: You do the absolute best that you can. We're now five events into the return to fans, and we're working closely with each one of our tournament organizations, our volunteer leadership team. We continue to stress the importance of it.

While there are some, I've been encouraged by the number of people that have been wearing masks. And while I have seen some that aren't, and we want everyone to be wearing masks and we're going to continue to reinforce that, I like the actual progression that we've been on, and I think you'll see more growth on that front this week.

I know Jared and Troy and the teams here have spent a lot of time and energy enforcing those guidelines and protocols and being in position to do that. You'll see signage everywhere. I drove home from Bay Hill on Sunday night. As I got within a 10-mile radius I got my app alert from THE PLAYERS Championship, reminding me of all the safety protocols.

Good job app team! Hopefully he didn’t look down at his phone too long.

This was a good question about spacing out featured groups. The answer? Not so much.

Q. Was there any consideration given, on tournaments going forward, with a limited number of fans, to on the featured pairings, when you put them back-to-back, like last week that's where everybody was on Thursday and Friday. Was there any consideration given to only doing one and spreading out the stars, so to speak, to allow for more outdoor golf distancing?

JAY MONAHAN: Well, I think that's something we'll continue to look at. I mean, we've got 154 superstars here this week, and I think our fans are here to see them all. But that is a reality, and that's something that I know we've talked about and we're mindful of as we do featured pairings and as we stage our events week in and week out.

That is a buried lede, btw. The field is now 154 at The Players because 144 was not enough when you have 154 superstars.

And for your gobbledygook answer of the day? On distance:

Q. Last month the USGA and the R&A released some results of the Distance Insight Project. It drew pretty strong reactions from some of the players. What was your reaction and kind of your stance right now on that whole distance debate?

JAY MONAHAN: Yeah, I think that's the second time that that Distance Insights Report was released. You know, the USGA and the R&A, they're our industry partners. I think when they came back and released it, released the fact that they were going to go to a period of notice and they were going to reinstitute that project, to me they're taking back up the work that they stalled after the pandemic last year, and this is a long-term subject that they're exploring, and we as industry partners are going to participate. We've been invited to participate and collaborate. That's exactly what we're going to do.

Ultimately I think where we'll end up will be a place where, from a PGA TOUR standpoint, I think if you're a player, if you're a fan, I think the excitement that you see here week in and week out, that's something that you'll continue to see as we go forward and as we debate that subject. I think it's -- everybody needs to be patient here. As they've said, it's a project that's going to take a number of years to get a recommendation and a result, and we're excited to participate in it.

I'm not surprised with the reaction. It's a subject that generates a lot of debate. I'm proud of our players for expressing their thoughts, and we'll continue to express ours in the context of those discussions. But as I said earlier, I think, as an industry, these are the things that we need to work together, need to work through short-term items and we need to work through long-term items in the best interests of the game, and that's the approach we're going to take in those discussions.

At this point, given his past remarks showing resistance to the USGA/R&A stance, this series of delay-tactic answers is a positive step forward.