New PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said one reason no Tour events have been moved out of North Carolina in the wake of the state's controversial HB2 "bathroom bill" is that they are "held at private facilities." There are four sanctioned events that take place annually in the state -- the PGA Tour Wells Fargo Championship and Wyndham Championship, the Web.com Tour Rex Hospital Open and the PGA Tour Champions SAS Championship. Monahan: "Being at private facilities allows us to treat the LGBT community with the honor and respect that we always have treated them, so nothing will change." He added, "If we were at a public facility, I think you could see a very different position from us. But fortunately we're not in that position." Monahan said the Tour takes "great pride in the fact that the game of golf is at the center of pop culture and societal issues." He said, "We will -- as in the case of LGBT -- as these issues emerge, we're very comfortable that we'll operate as this game has always operated -- in a way that is welcome, open and inclusive” ("Golf Central," Golf Channel, 1/9).
ON THE MOVE AGAIN? The AP's Ralph Russo reported the ACC is "likely to move its football championship game out of Charlotte again" if HB2 is "not repealed or adjusted." ACC Commissioner John Swofford said that the conference "will not wait as long as it did last year to move the game." The ACC title game had been played in Charlotte for six straight years before the conference in September announced the event was moving to Orlando (AP, 1/8).
