Xander Schauffele slams PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan

Xander Schauffele is adamant that the PGA Tour needs a new leader, claiming Jay Monahan has failed to protect his players.

Monahan, the PGA Tour’s embattled commissioner, has long been fighting to regain the trust of his playing membership after blindsiding the golf world with his secret framework deal with the Saudi backers of LIV Golf last June.

Schauffele has previously spoken about feeling betrayed by Monahan, who still remains at the heart of the stalling negotiations that will shape the sport’s future as the CEO of the new commercially-driven PGA Tour Enterprises.

And in an extensive interview with The Times, Schauffele has now issued his latest vote of no confidence in the commissioner.

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“What I can say is that throughout all of this turmoil, what’s probably bothered me the most — now more than ever — is that we need someone to lead us, we need a leader,” Schauffele said.

“My job is to do what I did and play good golf and be an entertainer and show how exciting golf can be. I’ve criticised Jay in the past, but the fact is not once has our commander-in-chief stood up for all of us players and said, ‘This is happening, this is where we’re going,’ and protected us, basically.

“He didn’t take a stand when anyone left, he didn’t come out to the public and face the music, none of that. Obviously, there were reasons [Monahan’s medical leave], but historically in tough situations you need a strong leader who can make the big waves smaller and make us feel better about what we’re doing. Right now, we don’t have that.

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“Whether I trust him or not doesn’t matter. There are around 250 guys on tour. That’s a lot of people to satisfy. But what I know can help and know is right is that we need someone to stand up in front of everyone and lead the charge, whatever direction we’re going in, and wear the hard shots so the players don’t have to and take command of a fractured and sensitive situation.”

In the same interview, Schauffele also laughed off suggestions that he could be ready to defect toLIV Golf, despite once meeting with the league’s kingmakers.

“It’s funny, my friends used to send me screenshots of me as the favourite to join LIV, and the odds were solely based on me not commenting much, but actions speak louder than words,” Schauffele said.

“I’ve shown up to play PGA Tour events week in, week out. I love my job, this is where I’m at, and I don’t really see myself going anywhere else. I had to at least sit down and listen to what was being offered, but once I realised it wasn’t really going to fit in with how I envisioned my career, it just fizzled out.”

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.