New Commissioner Jay Monahan said it is "highly likely" the PGA Tour would return to South Florida in the future after moving its event at Trump National Doral Miami after 50 years to Mexico City, according to Rex Hoggard of GOLFCHANNEL.com. Monahan in an hour-long session with the media said that the Tour "continues to seek a new sponsor" for the WGC-Mexico Championship, which had Cadillac as a title sponsor when at Doral (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 1/7). GOLF WORLD's Ryan Herrington notes Monahan has "few pressing short-term problems, the biggest arguably being the renewal of FedEx's sponsorship of the season-ending playoffs." Monahan this past week also "seemed to zero in on what potentially could be a tenure-defining move: altering the PGA Tour schedule so that it concludes in August." The earliest a schedule change could occur "seems to be" in '19 (GOLF WORLD MONDAY, 1/9). Monahan said of the Tour, "For us to grow, it all starts with the fan, and really understanding the fan, not just here in the U.S., but throughout the world." Meanwhile, Monahan said President-elect Donald Trump will be "probably the best golfer to ever sit in office, and certainly the most golf knowledgeable." Monahan: "For the game ... that's a tremendous thing" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 1/7).
DATES WITH DESTINY: GOLF.com's weekly roundtable discussed the possible PGA Tour schedule changes, with caddie John Wood noting The Players Championship "should move back to March." Wood, who caddies for Matt Kuchar, said, "While the weather may be more predictable in May, the tournament has lost a lot of the buzz it used to have when it felt like the first 'major' of the year. Finishing the FedEx Cup playoffs before the NFL season would give them a much bigger stage in the world of sports." SI Golf's Jeff Ritter added, "I love Monahan's schedule ideas, but would the PGA actually move its championship away from August? That's the wild card." Meanwhile, Golf magazine's Joe Passov said he "can't get past this goofy wrap-around season concept" (GOLF.com, 1/9).
RING TONE: GOLFCHANNEL.com's Hoggard noted Monahan "expressed his concern" over recent reports that the Olympic course in Brazil is "struggling to attract players and is in financial trouble." Monahan: “It’s very disappointing. We had four of our employees take 110 round-trip tickets to Brazil in five years to get that golf course ready. We thought as a result of the Olympics and some of the commitments made to us that there wouldn’t be any question as to the future of that golf course" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 1/7).
