Rahm: Monahan has done a ‘fantastic job’

Jon Rahm said Tuesday ahead of The Open Championship that he thinks PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has done a “fantastic job” for the players and the game of golf amid a series of changes in the sport’s landscape.

"As it comes to what he's been doing for us and the PGA Tour, I think he's done a fantastic job," Rahm said.

"I would say it was unexpected what happened. I think what the management of the PGA Tour, the turn they took without us knowing was very unexpected, but I still think he's been doing a great job.

"And right now, after that happened, I only think it's fair to give them the right time to work things out. I still think they have the best interest of the players at heart.”

Rahm’s opinion seems to differ from many on the PGA Tour, who have complained about a lack of transparency in the Tour’s framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia that aligns the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf. The agreement was announced on June 6 just before the Canadian Open and came as a shock to pretty much everyone in professional golf.

When asked if Monahan has to regain Rahm’s trust, the defending Masters champion once again stood by the PGA Tour boss.

“No. Again, he still has all this time to work this agreement to basically prove that this was the right decision. No, as of right now, no.”

Rahm wasn’t the only golfer who seems okay with the way things are headed.

“I’m in the minority probably on this. I don’t think they always have to be transparent with us because I just don’t see the benefit always of being transparent, telling us everything,” Billy Horschel told Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis.

“It’s more a member-input organization, in my opinion. When you have a company like this, the PGA Tour, that’s a billion dollar-worth business on a yearly basis, it’s tough to get 200 players, 200-plus players who are members, to agree on the direction of the PGA Tour. That’s why we put Jay Monahan and the executives in the position they are.”

But several other players have taken a different tone regarding Monahan, who has been away from the Tour the last few weeks due to a health issue.

“I’d say he has a lot of tough questions to answer in his return,” said Xander Schauffele ahead of last week’s Scottish Open.

“I don’t trust easily. He had my trust. And he has a lot less of it now. I don’t stand alone when I say that. He’ll have to answer a lot of tough questions when he comes back.”

“You talk to a lot of other players, it’s been quite a shock from the get-go,” three-time major champion Jordan Spieth said.

“It really is kind of that cycle where it’s just a framework agreement and I don’t know what that entails. We are not involved in any of the discussions,” world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler said.

“Should I have been? Probably not. But I’m sure that a few of our players members should have been involved.”