“It’s an invitational” - PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan ‘wasn’t surprised' with the Masters' decision to let the LIV golfers play

Augusta National recently cleared the air over LIV golfers playing the Masters and deemed them eligible for the event. The coveted event’s organizers announced that the rebel league players will be allowed to play if they meet the participation criteria. Weeks after this, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has now revealed that he ‘wasn’t at all surprised’ with the decision.

Opening up about his stance on the LIV golfers at the Masters, Monahan said that he was on board with the decision. Speaking during a media roundtable on Sunday at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, the PGA Tour Commissioner said that the event was an “invitational” and it made sense to allow the rebel league players in.

Responding to a query on whether he was disappointed with the Masters' decision on LIV golfers, Jay Monahan said:

“I wasn’t at all surprised at the Masters’ decision. To me, obviously it’s an invitational and they follow their criteria and I wasn’t surprised in any way with the decision that they made.”

However, the PGA Tour Commissioner stayed put on his stance against letting LIV players on other tours. Replying to a query on whether there is a way back for the rebel league players, Monahan said that his position on the subject hasn’t changed.

He said:

“My position on that hasn’t changed. I think that those players have made their decision and they’re there. Again, to me, it’s, I’m doing everything I can with the guys, the players that are, you know, members of the PGA Tour and committed to this Tour. But nothing’s changed on that front. I don’t have anything new to add.”

It is pertinent to note that Monahan announced the decision to ban LIV golfers from the PGA Tour earlier this year. The circuit is currently in a legal fight with the Saudi-backed series and its players over its actions over the past year.

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LIV golfers allowed in The Masters 2023

Despite the PGA Tour ban, LIV golfers will be at The Masters 2023. The Augusta National decision came amid a raging LIV-PGA legal fight. The decision quickly stirred controversy as several golf purists and PGA Tour fans began protesting the move.

Masters Chairman Fred Ridley made the announcement allowing LIV golfers at The Masters in a statement.

The official statement read:

"Regrettably, recent actions have divided men’s professional golf by diminishing the virtues of the game and the meaningful legacies of those who built it. Although we are disappointed in these developments, our focus is to honor the tradition of bringing together a preeminent field of golfers this coming April.

"Therefore, as invitations are sent this week, we will invite those eligible under our current criteria to compete in the 2023 Masters Tournament. As we have said in the past, we look at every aspect of the Tournament each year, and any modifications or changes to invitation criteria for future Tournaments will be announced in April."

With the move, past champions like Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed and Phil Mickelson, among others, are set to arrive at Augusta National for the coveted event in April. Players like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Cameron Smith, will also be eligible to play in the event alongside PGA Tour stars.