PGA Tour commissioner will return on July 17

Monahan says he will address all issues related to mergers after taking break on medical grounds

WASHINGTON:

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, sidelined nearly a month by an unspecified medical issue, will return to work on July 17, the tour announced on Friday.

Monahan's return will come six days after he misses a hearing by US lawmakers into the PGA-LIV deal.

Monahan, who left his duties on June 13, was ripped by many players as a hypocrite after negotiating a merger deal with the Saudi backers of rival LIV Golf following a year of urging players to reject record financial offers to stay with the PGA Tour.

Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) governor Yasir al-Rumayyan, who made the deal with Monahan, will not appear at the hearing and neither will LIV chief executive Greg Norman, citing schedule conflicts.

In Monahan's place will be Ron Price, the tour's chief operating officer, and Jimmy Dunne, a PGA Tour board member who was a negotiator of the deal.

Monahan revealed his return in a memo to the PGA board, tour members and staff.

"Thank you for your support and leadership these last few weeks," Monahan wrote. "With the support of my family and thanks to world class medical care, my health has improved dramatically.

"I'm eager to engage with each of you – as well as our players, partners, fans and our PGA Tour family – to address any questions and protect the game we treasure."

Monahan said his focus will be on "securing a stable path forward" for the tour in the wake of the merger deal framework with the PIF and DP World Tour.

"We can rest assured that the PGA Tour will continue to lead and shape the game for the future," he wrote.