If the reported salaries of other major sports commissioners in the U.S. are accurate, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan ranks as the second-highest-paid chief executive. According to the PGA Tour’s 2023 tax return, Monahan received over $23 million in total compensation, which includes a base salary of $1.89 million.
In addition, he earned $12.1 million in bonuses and incentives, $2.5 million in retirement benefits, and $6.7 million in long-term incentives. After obtaining the PGA Tour’s tax return, Sportico first reported Jay Monahan’s salary. As a 501(c)(6) trade organization, the salary details of top executives at the Tour are public records, while PGA Tour events themselves are 501(c)(3) non-profits.
Monahan’s compensation package is also approved by the PGA Tour Policy Board, which includes five player members. In an email to Sportico, a PGA Tour spokesman clarified that more than $9 million of Monahan’s earnings are deferred and may fluctuate based on interest rates. For comparison, Monahan earned over $18.4 million in 2022.
Phil Mickelson points fingers on Jay Monahan
This has raised quite a few eyebrows, especially considering that the Tour commissioner’s base salary is $1,887,096. On top of that, he has earned $12.1 million in bonuses and incentives, $2.5 million in retirement benefits, and $6.7 million in long-term incentives.
Many fans and professionals are less than pleased with these earnings, given that Monahan has spent nearly two years in his role without successfully resolving the ongoing rift in the golf world. This issue should arguably be his top priority.
In 2022, Ron Price, the Chief Operating Officer of the PGA Tour, testified before Congress during a hearing on the state of professional golf. When questioned about the financial status of the Tour, Price stated that the Tour’s total assets were “a little less than $3 billion.”
This figure played a key role in his attempt to highlight the Tour’s relatively modest financial position, especially in comparison to emerging competitors like LIV Golf, which had substantial Saudi backing.
Read More: Bryson DeChambeau Completes The 16-Day Hole-In-One Over House Challenge
However, just four months after Price’s testimony, the Tour sold a portion of its stake to SSG Capital Management for a staggering $12.5 billion, a move that raised questions about the accuracy of the earlier statement. Recently, Golf.com published an article referencing comments made by Phil Mickelson, where he suggested that the Tour was sitting on billions of dollars in NFTs.
In 2022, Mickelson posted on X (formerly Twitter), claiming that the PGA Tour had $1.6 billion in stocks, $700 million in cash, and $1.15 billion in nonliquid assets. He pointed out that all of this was from the nonprofit side, and noted that the for-profit section hadn’t been disclosed since 2012—but likely far exceeded the nonprofit assets at that time.
Mickelson quickly pushed back against the article, stating that his comments had been misrepresented. On X, he wrote, “In this article, you dismissed my claim that the Tour is sitting on billions of dollars in NFTs and digital moments. Let me point out that when Ron Price testified in front of Congress, he was asked how many assets the Tour had. He said a little less than $3 billion. Four months later, they sold a stake to SSG on a valuation of $12.5 billion. Where do you think the $9.5 billion discrepancy came from? That’s right, digital moments and NFTs. Open your eyes and get your facts straight, please.”
Well, Phil Mickelson did not just stay there. He also called it only 30% his hard work, and the remaining 70% only because of the brand value and name of the PGA Tour. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below!
