DP World Tour official blasts PGA Tour boss: "A complete f--- up"

PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan veered from the plan when he appeared on national television alongside LIV Golf mastermind Yasir Al-Rumayyan to announce the framework agreement, according to a report. 

The armistice between golf's established tours and Saudi Arabia's PIF, which bankrolls LIV, was announced on 6 June 2023. 

It came out of absolutely nowhere but we now know the peace deal was hatched after a series of secret meetings across the globe between Monahan, a few trusted advisors, Al-Rumayyan and former European Tour Group chief executive Keith Pelley. 

Related:

• Rory McIlroy's agent offers four-word response to LIV speculation

One such meeting is said to have taken place in Venice in the middle of May before Al-Rumayyan attended the wedding of F1 driver Lawrence Stroll. 

Monahan and Al-Rumayyan appeared on CNBC in an extraordinary half-hour interview a few moments after the PGA Tour's official website carried the headline: 

"PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF announce newly formed commercial entity to unify golf."

The wording of the original release has since turned out to be extremely clumsy, given the use of the term 'merger'. 

That word and how the rollout was handled angered DP World Tour officials, according to an extract from a new book about golf's 'civil war'. 

The general feeling appears to be that Monahan behaved arrogantly. 

BBC golf reporter Iain Carter touched on how the framework agreement was handled in Golf War$. 

An extract of his book was released by Today's Golfer, which you can read here. 

According to Carter, it was never the plan for Monahan and Al-Rumayyan to appear on the interview alone. 

One DP World Tour official described the rollout as a 'complete f--- up'. 

It appears as though the general feeling from Wentworth HQ is that Pelley's involvement in the TV interview would've been beneficial. 

"That was the most botched announcement I have ever seen," the official told Carter. 

They added: "They were never meant to do an interview just the two of them . . . they released it half an hour early. 

"And they release it as a merger! You’re chasing your tail now.”

Pelley has since left the DP World Tour for his dream job in Canada heading up Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment.

It was his hope that the framework agreement would've been consummated by now. 

He even delayed his exit by a few months try and get the deal over the line. He was replaced by Guy Kinnings. 

In his last interview before leaving, Pelley told The Times of London he believed unification in golf is 'inevitable'. 

He stated he had 'absolutely no regrets' with his tenure. 

And to the ageing European Ryder Cup stars that bolted to LIV, he said: "I don’t have any relationship with them.

"But that’s to be expected. It’s just business, it’s not a popularity contest. 

"Some players on this side think we weren’t hard enough on them."

Read next:

• Cameron Smith gives reporter short shrift with Masters question
• Jon Rahm reveals one PGA Tour star had major beef with him at The Masters