PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Jay Monahan is not wasting any time as the new commissioner of the PGA Tour, notching his signature moment less than five months into his tenure as just the fourth commissioner in the league's history.
Although it had been in the works before he took over for Tim Finchem in January, Monahan on Tuesday announced a 10-year extension of a deal with FedEx to sponsor its year-long points race and season-ending playoff format.
"In a relatively short period of time, it has become something that really shapes our players' schedule. It shapes their thinking, and it's become part of the fabric of our sport,'' Monahan said. "We're proud of that. And we're obviously thankful for the long-term commitment we have with FedEx."
In the second part of an exclusive interview at TPC Sawgrass, home of this week's Players Championship, Monahan discussed several topics -- and with the FedEx Cup renewal, that is a good place to start.
Editor's Note: Read part I of Bob Harig's interview with Jay Monahan.
The FedEx Cup
The FedEx Cup season-long points race and season-ending playoff series is now in its 11th year and will go through at least 2027, providing immense riches for those at the top of the game and even modest ones for those who are not.
Since its inception, FedEx has paid out a $10 million bonus to the winner of the Cup, which is determined at the 30-player, season-ending Tour Championship. Second place receives a $3 million bonus and the payouts go all the way down to $150,000 in tax-deferred retirement payments to the 150th-place finisher in the standings. Only the top 125 qualify for the now four-tournament playoff run -- with each of the tournaments offering purses in excess of $8 million.
Monahan said he could foresee an increase in the $10 million payout.
"I think there is an opportunity for us to grow every element of the cup,'' he said. "I wouldn't get into specifics. But we come to work every day with a goal of trying to maximize their playing and financial benefits. And the cup is an important element to that. So I do see it growing.''
To be determined is if the four-tournament playoff series will be reduced to three events. The Dell Technologies Championship -- formerly the Deutsche Bank Championship, which Monahan used to run -- is working under just a one-year deal. There have been rumblings about reducing the number of events to three to assure everyone plays and offer a possibly more exciting race to the finish.
As for format, all manner of ideas and suggestions have been tossed about, many believing the points system is convoluted. Finchem always said he was not opposed to such controversy, as it got people talking about it, much like there is always discussion about a better way to crown a college football national champion.
Golf and the Olympics
Golf's return to the Olympic Games in 2016 was fraught with negativity: player defections, the Zika virus and concerns about the golf course in Brazil. The competition itself for both men and women was a pleasant surprise, with Justin Rose winning the men's gold and Inbee Park doing so for the women.
The outlook for the future turned positive, with only the 2020 Games in Tokyo being assured for golf.
"I think it was a great success because when we left Rio and you look at the impact in Sweden, the number of people who followed Henrik (Stenson) on his quest to trying to win the gold medal was far more significant than that time frame where he won the Open Championship," Monahan said. "Justin Rose, the ratings in the U.K. were extraordinary, the highest that golf had ever seen. Similarly, if you look at Korea, China and other countries where you had top performers, the Olympics raised the profile for the game, which was the intention of those leaders when they came together and said we need to get golf in the Olympic Games.
"There were a lot of bumps along the road, and we all know what they were. But I'm proud of the way everybody banded together and golf presented itself, I think, really well. We're excited about '20 in Tokyo.
"I think that tour involvement in the Olympics is not something you can look at in the short term. You have to look at where are you 15, 20 years down the road. With more countries investing in the game and investing in developing talent in the game, I think that's really positive. I think it will create all kinds of opportunities as we go forward. As a player to be in the context of all the best athletes in the world, for those who had that opportunity, it had a significant impact on them.''
If you are looking to a change in format, Monahan said not to expect one for Tokyo. Individual stroke play appears to be what will be used again, despite calls for more innovation and perhaps even a team component. "I fully expect as we go forward, we'll be having substantial discussions about format and potentially additional formats,'' Monahan said.
Despite immense scheduling difficulties last year, Monahan does not foresee much change in that regard in 2020. The Games fall in early August, and unless the PGA Championship has plans to move to another time of year, the same scheduling crunch is likely to exist.
The PGA Tour and its own network
The NFL has one. So does major league baseball, the NBA and the NHL. Various conferences in college sports have them as well. Tennis, too. So why not golf?
There has been plenty of conjecture about the PGA Tour starting its own television network -- something that Monahan said is not imminent. That is not to say he is opposed to the idea.
"When you've got your brand on a network, it's kind of like having your brand on a tournament,'' he said. "It becomes part of the lexicon of the sport and part of the lexicon of the sport at large. I think that's really positive for those leagues. Plus, I think the way they are structured, it gives them more flexibility and more influence over how you build the brands of your players, how you build the brands of your tournaments, or in this case your teams, and how you just build your brand in general. I think that's really positive.''
The PGA Tour has television rights deals with Golf Channel for cable and with networks NBC and CBS through 2021, although there is a provision to opt out of the network deals in 2018 with any of those changes taking place in 2019.
"I think you'll see us, like other leagues, really evolve how we present our sports just based on the fact that that is what the fan, the consumer, expects of us,'' Monahan said. "Owning networks and getting into that part of the discussion ... that's obviously very complicated. There are elements there that those leagues have been able to figure out that we're just not far enough along for it to be a consideration [right now].''
Monahan noted that the tour's digital presence will increase as the appetite for golf via internet options increases.
"We have a great success with PGATourLive (a first- and second-round streaming service), we've announced a Twitter streaming deal,'' he said. "We're introducing virtual reality and you'll see some of that at [No.] 17 here [at the Players Championship]. ... It's an opportunity to perhaps showcase your sport in a different light. I think it's fairly early on in the number of ways we will continue to evolve in that way.''
Tiger's influence
Unlike his predecessor Finchem, Monahan will not have the biggest needle-mover the game has ever seen to help him sell the product. When Woods turned pro in 1996, Finchem was more than two years into his tenure. When Woods won the 1997 Masters, Finchem soon was able to parlay it into record television rights deals and escalating purses.
All of Woods' 14 major championships and 79 PGA Tour victories occurred on Finchem's watch, and with Woods out for at least six months after a fourth back surgery, his future as a player is in doubt.
But Woods certainly has a future in the game, if he chooses. As a golf course designer. As a tournament host. As the founder of his foundation. Perhaps one day as an elder statesman.
Monahan played a few holes of golf with Woods during his tenure as the executive director of the Deutsche Bank Championship. He hopes to play with a healthy Woods as commissioner.
"I think he will play again,'' Monahan said. "And I think he'll win on the PGA Tour again and that would be a great thing.
"But when I think about Tiger and impact, I think about him along the same lines as Arnold (Palmer), Jack (Nicklaus), Gary (Player). I think his impact will be felt in perpetuity. I think it will be felt in the competitive realm for as long as he's playing. And then when he stops playing competitively, with what he's done with his foundation, the amount of young people's lives he's changed -- which doesn't get talked about enough -- I think that will continue to grow.
"He obviously is involved with (three) tournaments on the PGA Tour. I think his ability to make an impact through those tournaments will be an opportunity. And I think he'll always have a very important voice within the game. He'll always be seen as a leader within the game.
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