Monahan used his pre-tournament press conference at The Players to insist that the PGA Tour was 'moving on' from any speculation and conversation around a possible Saudi-backed Golf League; Watch The Players all week on Sky Sports The Players
Tuesday 8 March 2022 20:20, UK
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan insisted that Phil Mickelson had the ‘ball in his court’ about returning to golf, although refused to rule out whether he had actually been suspended by the Tour.
Mickelson hasn't played since apologising last month for his "reckless" comments regarding the proposed Saudi-backed breakaway league, where he accused the PGA Tour of "obnoxious greed" and acting like a "dictatorship".
The six-time major champion admitted he was using the threat of a breakaway to "reshape" how the Tour operates and has since stepped away from the sport, with Mickelson a noticeable absentee from the PGA Tour's flagship event - The Players - this week at TPC Sawgrass.
Monahan addressed the Mickelson issue in his pre-tournament press conference, where he admitted to not speaking to the 51-year-old but 'looked forward' to a conversation with him.
"He [Mickelson] has said that he's stepping away and he wants time for reflection - that's something that I and we are going to respect and honour," Monahan said. "When he's ready to come back to the PGA Tour, we're going to have that conversation. That's a conversation I look forward to.
"I have not talked to Phil since he made his comments and since he said that he was stepping away. Like I said, I think the ball is in his court. I would welcome a phone call from him. But it's hard for me to talk about the different scenarios that could play out.
"Listen, he's a player that's won 45 times on the PGA Tour. He's had a Hall of Fame career. He's won here at The Players Championship. He's inspired a lot of people and helped grow this Tour, his Tour.
"So as difficult as it is to read some of the things that were said, ultimately a conversation will be had when he's ready to have it, and I will be ready to have it, as well."
On whether Mickelson had actually be suspended from the PGA Tour, Monahan added: "He [Mickelson] stepped away on his own accord, and he's asked for time. He's been given that time. We don't comment on disciplinary matters, potential matters or actual matters. But every player is accountable for their actions out here."
The majority of the world's top players have distanced themselves from any potential breakaway circuit, with Rory McIlroy saying last month the potential league was "dead in the water" after Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau released statements to commit to the PGA Tour.
Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm and Collin Morikawa are among the others to have also ruled out joining the league, with Monahan hoping wanting to 'move on' about any talk regarding the possible Saudi Golf League.
"I wanted to take a moment to address all of the news, discourse and conjecture lately about the world of professional golf," Monahan added. "I'd like to emphatically reiterate what I told our players at our mandatory player meeting two weeks ago at the Honda Classic.
"The PGA Tour is moving on. We have too much momentum and too much to accomplish to be consistently distracted by rumours of other golf leagues and their attempts to disrupt our players, our partners, and most importantly our fans from enjoying the TOUR and the game we all love so much.
"History shows that the PGA Tour is bigger than any one player. Arnold [Palmer] and Jack [Nicklaus] both expressed that thought throughout their careers, and Tiger [Woods] echoed that very sentiment in December and at the Genesis Invitational when he said, the PGA Tour will always be his home.
"So there is no better place than at the home of the PGA Tour to reiterate our focus and promise to our fans and our players. Let's move on."
Watch The Players throughout the week live on Sky Sports' dedicated Players Championship channel. Live coverage of the opening round begins on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports The Players.
