New Roles For Tiger Woods And Jay Monahan As PGA Tour Enterprises Board Announced
Tiger Woods will serve as vice chairman on the board of directors at the new PGA Tour Enterprises company set up to drive commercial and engagement growth
Tiger Woods will play a prominent role in the new PGA Tour Enterprises company formed in partnership with the $3 billion SSG investment deal - along with Jay Monahan.
PGA Tour commissioner Monahan will serve as the chief executive officer of the new Enterprises company, with Woods being the vice chairman of the board.
A chairman will be elected at an upcoming meeting of the new board, which comprises nine PGA Tour representatives and four from SSG.
The new Enterprises entity will "focus on driving fan engagement and growth, as well as developing new media, sponsorship and commercial opportunities" according to the PGA Tour.
PGA Tour Enterprises was originally formed last June as part of the framework agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia PIF - but a full deal with LIV Golf's bankrollers has so far failed to materialize as Monahan then did a deal with SSG.
A board of 13 will oversee the company, with all six player directors on the current PGA Policy Board - Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods - also having a seat at the table in the Enterprises boardroom.
Four members of SSG, including Fenway Sports Group (FSG) boss John W Henry, will sit on the board alongside Monahan and Joe Gorder - while former PGA Tour player Joe Ogilvie has been given the role of director liaison to help the players handle having roles on two boards.
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“Today’s announcement is another milestone for our organization, as I believe we have arrived at a PGA Tour Enterprise’s Board of Directors with the right composition, expertise and balance necessary to take our organization into the future,” said Monahan.
“Our current and former players will provide essential insight into our members’ priorities and needs. And we welcome key SSG members to the leadership team, whose exceptional track records and achievements in global professional sports will lend a wealth of knowledge into the opportunities ahead for the PGA Tour.
"Their expertise will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in the success and growth of our commercial initiatives."
The players who will serve on the board will help shape how the PGA Tour, and the DP World Tour, operate commercially gong forward, with Ogilvie having a crucial role in streamlining information down to the players to help them cope with the workload.
“We are excited to continue to build the PGA Tour as the highest level of competition in professional golf,” read a joint statement on behalf of the players.
“It’s an opportunity for us to shape something special that will not only create more value for the PGA Tour, but will also benefit and grow our fanbase. We’re ready to get started.”
Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club owner Henry will be joined on the board by fellow SSG colleagues Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank, New York Mets vice chairman Andrew Cohen and Red Sox president Sam Kennedy.
“Our role on the Enterprises Board will focus on hearing Player Director ideas and working alongside them to ensure the sport’s commercial growth occurs in a way that creates the best possible product for fans,” said Henry.
“All of us at Strategic Sports Group see a bright future for the PGA Tour and the constitution of the Enterprises Board is an important first step in realizing that future.”
The full 13-member PGA Tour Enterprises board is: Blank, Cantlay, Cohen, Gorder, Henry, Kennedy, Malnati, Monahan, Ogilvie, Scott, Simpson, Spieth and Tiger Woods.
It was also announced that Ogilvie will operate in the same role on the PGA Tour Policy Board, which will expand from 12 to 14 with Monahan also now being named as a voting member.
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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