19 June 2023 , 17:36
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Tom Watson has hit out at what he has labeled as the 'hypocrisy' of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan after his decision to sign a groundbreaking agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF).
The world of golf was left in shock earlier this month, after the PGA Tour confirmed it had joined forces with PIF, and more notably its fierce rival LIV Golf. The Tour had been at war with LIV since its inception last summer, but the new deal will see the two work in unison under one entity, alongside the DP World Tour.
The new project that is set to take over professional golf will be financed by Saudi investment, just as LIV Golf has been since forming 12 months ago.
Tour boss Monahan had previously noted his disapproval of LIV and its Middle Eastern backing on a number of occasions, before seeming to undergo a change of heart. And it is something that has not sat well with eight-time major champion Watson.
The 73-year-old penned an open letter to Monahan, who has currently taken a step back from his position for medical reasons. Starting his letter with well-wishes, Watson wrote per Golf Digest: "First, I wish Jay Monahan a complete and speedy recovery. I respect the leadership he has shown in the past for our Tour. It can’t be an easy job."
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Despite this, the veteran was quick to highlight the Tour bosses hypocrisy to work alongside PIF. "Unfortunately, in the wake of recent news, I also understand the cries of hypocrisy," Watson added. "Because he is a smart man, I know Jay does too. In my opinion, the communication has been mishandled and the process by which the Tour agreed on a proposed partnership with PIF was executed without due process.
Jay Monahan is the man in charge of the PGA Tour (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)"As a group of players and stakeholders who represent the face and the brands of the Tour, what are our choices. Clearly, the Tour’s traditional business model was threatened by LIV. The upstart tour created unprecedented obstacles and battles of both moral and financial consequence." Questioning the morality behind the deal, he added: "Before this agreement is finalized, I wonder, does the PGA Tour have guidelines?
"Have we, as a body, defined an acceptable percentage of PIF funding in the proposed partnership? These questions are compounded by the hypocrisy in disregarding the moral issue; a position which for a long time was publicly highlighted by Tour leadership...
Tom Watson questioned the morality behind the deal (AP)"I still await Saudi acknowledgement of their role in the attacks of 9/11, which resulted in the loss of the innocent lives of 3000 of my fellow American citizens. I support 9/11 Families United and their efforts to release supporting exculpatory U.S. Government documents (See 9/11FamiliesUnited.org/KeyDocuments).
"That day, forever among the darkest in our nation’s history, is sadly not alone among the human rights violations we have seen employed by Saudi Arabia. I ask the Tour, how is a non-negotiable point for us one day one we negotiate around the next?"