Jay Monahan
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May 7, 1970
Belmont, Massachusetts, U.S.
Jay Monahan | |
|---|---|
| 4th Commissioner of the PGA Tour | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Tim Finchem |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joseph William Monahan IV May 7, 1970 Belmont, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse | Susan Monahan |
| Children | 2 daughters |
| Education | Trinity College, Connecticut (BA) University of Massachusetts, Amherst (MS) |
Joseph William "Jay" Monahan IV (born May 7, 1970) is the fourth and current commissioner of golf's PGA Tour. He ascended to this position in January 2017. Monahan previously served as executive director of The Players Championship.
Succeeding Tim Finchem (who was the PGA Tour's third commissioner from 1994 to 2017), Monahan's tenure as commissioner is considered controversial, due (among other factors) to the fact that he did business with the Public Investment Fund (or the PIF), the Saudi Arabian investment fund and owners of LIV Golf (the rival golf organization of the PGA Tour). The fund is accused of "sportswashing" to divert the focus from the crimes committed by the regime led by Mohammed bin Salman (the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia), who became the target of criticism from both PGA Tour players and the families of the 9/11 victims.[1][2][3][4][5]
Monahan was born and raised in Belmont, Massachusetts, a suburb northwest of Boston. Following graduation from Belmont High School, he did a post-graduate year at Lawrenceville School in New Jersey.[6]
Monahan was immersed in the sport of golf as a child and went on to play Division III golf and hockey at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where he was an Academic All-American in his senior season under golf coach Bill Detrick.[7] He graduated with a history degree in 1993 and then earned a master's degree in sports management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1995.[7]
Early career
Monahan worked at IMG Worldwide where he played an integral role in the development of the Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston in Norton, and served as the tournament’s first director at age 32. In 2003, Monahan co-created Golf Fights Cancer, a charity that has raised nearly $5 million for cancer research.[8] Later, he worked in sales for the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in Boston.[9]