Jay Monahan first joined the institution as the executive director of the Players Championship. Through his passion for golf and his contribution to the PGA Tour, he rose to the rank of CEO. In 2017, he claimed his seat as the Commissioner from Tim Finchem, who retired after 22 years as the Tour’s third commissioner. Since taking over, Monahan has not had an unobstructed road till the end of his tenure as CEO. He was faced with various challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, the start of a rival golf league, and a complete restructuring of the Tour schedule. He fought through all of them, took a break when needed.

The first major obstacle being navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost 17 tournaments have been canceled and another 20 postponed, with no guarantee of them happening in the future. But there was a bigger storm waiting for Monahan.

In 2021, the upstart rival LIV Golf league was formed, and it brought a plethora of problems. It deeply affected the stability of the Tour, with the PGA suspending its players and the former PGA Tour players suing the Tour for suspension. In his pursuit to find a solution to the instability, Monahan tripped himself with a new framework agreement, which meant all the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf will form one new entity. However, the plan has now stalled as it faced severe backlash from the players as well as other experts.

After the $3B merger announcement, Monahan took an interim leave of absence in July 2023. Ever since, there had been rumors of Monahan leaving the post of CEO. Now that Monahan has resigned, he shared, “I agreed to stay on through the end of my term to make certain that I do my part to ensure a smooth transition. I’m going to fully support Brian as he steps into the role.”

Monahan had informed his decision of stepping down as CEO to the Tour Policy Board in early 2024. After which, a search committee was formed under his leadership. After a year-long search to find the successor of Monahan, the committee unanimously decided to appoint Brian Rolapp as Monahan’s successor. In 2026, it will be almost a decade of Jay’s tenure as the CEO. His contract will end in 2026, and then he will exit as the PGA Tour’s Commissioner.

With Monahan leaving the reigns as Commissioner, will he continue to be associated with the PGA Tour some other capacity?

What role will Jay Monahan take in the PGA Tour?

Monahan is ready to give his all until his contract ends. “As it relates to engagement, as it relates to commercial, as it relates to what’s happening inside ropes, inside the field of play. Together, we’re going to be focused on making certain that we finish this season very, very strong. And we will be doing that together,” he said.

For the next part of 2025, Monahan will be focusing on gradually transferring his responsibilities as CEO to Rolapp by 2026. After which, he would be focusing more on his role as the Board member of the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Enterprises. Monahan will move from the forefront and act as a force of guidance behind the scenes. He will act as a consultant for achieving long-term goals, key partnerships, and negotiations. Talking about his future, Monahan said, “I’m going to run through the finish line and then I’ll figure that out.”

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