Haney Case Depositions Shed Light On Tour's Handling Of LPGA TV Deal, Lack Of Top Player Awareness

The Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan has obtained portions of Hank Haney lawsuit depositions in the case against the PGA Tour and the details do not paint a flattering portrayal of PGA Tour leadership. With just under two months left in office, outgoing LPGA Tour Commissioner Mike Whan may need to address the situation.

To recap: Haney is suing the Tour after he was forced off SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio following a flippant comment about LPGA Tour favorites in the then-upcoming U.S. Women’s Open. But he is also alleging PGA Tour interference in several of his business interests beyond their pressure campaign alleged.

Unable to settle, the sides moved to a deposition phase and in the excerpts obtained by The Athletic, their story focus locked in on the LPGA’s percentage of the new PGA Tour TV deal. We don’t know enough about the structure to evaluate the percentages seized-on in the story to evaluate exactly what this means for LPGA revenues. But Monahan testified to the LPGA receiving “several million dollars of additional media rights revenue in 2020 than they did in 2019.”

Kaplan’s story also highlights deposition snippets that reveal stunning ignorance of women’s golf by PGA Tour brass.

Why is that important?

The perception alone is terrible given the particulars of the case (and Haney’s subsequent apology). From a business perspective, the ignorance suggests the LPGA might not have been a PGA Tour focus in the media negotiations or going forward.

This, despite the PGA Tour’s claims of a deep affinity for the women’s game. When denouncing Haney at the time, the Tour and Sirius professed their close working ties with the LPGA:

“The PGA TOUR is committed to and proud of the increasingly diverse makeup of our fan base, not to mention the power and accomplishments of the game’s world-class, global players -- both on the PGA TOUR and LPGA, whom we are working with more closely than ever before.

“SiriusXM proudly covers and supports both women’s and men’s golf and the athletes that make them great. At the PGA TOUR’s instruction Mr. Haney has been suspended from the SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio channel. SiriusXM is reviewing his status on SiriusXM going forward.”

There is one LPGA Tour show on the network.

The PGA Tour has been unable to create a mixed team event despite obvious fan interest. And as for the pride in the accomplishments of female golfers while working closer than ever before?

To hammer home the charge that the PGA Tour isn’t concerned about the LPGA, counsel for Haney quizzed Monahan on his knowledge of women’s golf. Monahan could not name the top golfers and said he had not attended an LPGA tournament as commissioner. (He had before his tenure.)

Maybe the Citation fleet only flies to PGA Tour cities?

“Can you give me the top five ranked players playing in that tournament this week?” Haney’s lawyer asked. (The LPGA played the U.S. Women’s Open in Houston that week.) “I can’t specifically give you the top five players ranked in that tournament,” Monahan replied. Haney’s lawyer then asked, “Who is the top-ranked woman playing in the tournament?”

Monahan: “I’m not sure what the latest iteration of the world ranking is.”

Psst, Jay, that’s the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings.

Haney’s lawyer: “Who are the top several players playing?”

Monahan: “I’m focused on the business of the PGA Tour, PGA Tour Champions, Korn Ferry, PGA Tour Latino America,  PGA Tour China, PGA Tour Canada, our relationship with the European Tour and our industry relationships. The person who is in a position to tell you the top players in the world would be Mike Whan. He runs the LPGA Tour.”

I feel like the video version of that answer probably is not going end up in Jay’s career highlight reel.

The PGA Tour’s SVP of Communications, Laura Neal, had an embarrassing performance given that her past job at the LPGA Tour from 1997 to 2006 under then-Commissioner Ty Votaw. Kaplan writes:

His lawyer asked Neal, the PGA Tour’s senior vice president of communications, in a Dec. 15, 2020, deposition about her own knowledge of top women golfers. When she couldn’t name them, he asked her, “Do you think it’s disrespectful for a senior member of the PGA not to know who the leaders of the LPGA are?”

She replied, “No, I don’t think it’s disrespectful.”

Just ignorant and demonstrating a lack of deposition prep on a topic purportedly very dear to PGA Tour hearts.

Which brings us to the LPGA Tour’s outgoing commissioner.

Mike Whan handed the LPGA Tour’s media negotiations over to the PGA Tour and probably made the right move at the time given the options. But with Golf Channel’s dwindling reach (by cable home counts), even fuzzier future digital plans, lack of complimentary LPGA coverage (their website writer was cut), and slashed marketing budget, the LPGA has a low priority status on the channel.

At the very least, Whan should be displeased with PGA Tour leadership’s lack of preparation or knowledge. Will he say so publicly or dare discuss these performances with his players?

If he was moving to another sector, Whan might be able to skate by. But given his move to the USGA CEO job and the organization’s hosting of the U.S. Women’s Open, he probably needs to get out in front of this one.