‘They need to go’ LIV golfer calls for Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley to resign

LIV golfer Richard Bland believes tour chiefs Jay Monahan and Keith Pelley should both step down in the wake of golf’s bombshell framework peace agreement.

Speaking to bunkered.co.uk, Bland suggested that PGA Tour commissioner Monahan and DP World Tour CEO Pelley are now in untenable positions after striking the top-secret deal with the Saudi Arabian backers of the LIV series.

Monahan and Pelley are under-fire following the so-called merger with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), which was so vehemently opposed before the shock truce announcement in June.

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And Bland believes that now is the time for heads to roll within golf’s most powerful authorities.

“Jay and Keith both need to go,” the 50-year-old Englishman said ahead of this week’s International Series event at Close House.

“From what they’ve said over the last 12 months and then doing the deal, I don’t see how they can lead the tours in that direction when they were so critical of what PIF and what LIV were doing. 

“I think for Jay to still be in his position is quite strange with what he’s said a few times. Some of the big players have turned down huge offers. He’s weakened his position and players will be calling for an awful lot more transparency because no one knew about this at all.”

While Monahan continues his attempts to restore the trust of his playing membership after the addition of Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour policy board, Pelley has told his players that the sport’s new landscape could offer a “massive opportunity” for the DP World Tour.

Journeyman Bland spent 22 years on the European circuit before joining LIV last year on the back of his memorable maiden tour victory on his 478th start at the 2021 British Masters.

But he became disillusioned with Pelley’s motives long before his defection and worries about the lack of clarity coming from the Canadian at such a critical period for his old domain.

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“I hope they don’t get lost in the framework agreement,” Bland said. “I always read it was between the PGA Tour and PIF and the DP World was just a bit of a side thing. It’s strange that Keith hasn’t come out and said too much to the media about what’s going on.

“Regardless of LIV, I wasn’t a fan of where Keith was taking the tour by trying to partner up with the PGA Tour. I didn’t understand that. In a month’s time we’re trying to play the Ryder Cup against them and now we’re in bed with them.

“I emailed Keith about this – I said I remember when you first came into the job and you gave your first player address. You pretty much stood up there and said the PGA Tour was a rival tour, a hostile tour and we’re trying to compete with them.

“Now we’re best friends with them and I wasn’t a huge fan of that. We were just happy to give our best players and that just makes the tour weaker.”

Bland was unsurprised that Pelley did not offer him any response to his concerns.

“Since joining LIV you don’t get much back from the DP World Tour,” he added. “Even when I was still a member I basically got nothing. When me and Lee [Westwood] resigned at the same time I don’t even think he got a reply email. I find that staggering.”

Ben Parsons joined bunkered as a Content Producer in 2023 and is the man to come to for all of the latest news, across both the professional and amateur games. Formerly of The Mirror and Press Association, he is a member at Halifax Golf Club and is a long-suffering fan of both Manchester United and the Wales rugby team.