“I think he’s full of it” - PGA Tour’s Jimmy Walker lashes out at Jay Monahan for ‘poor’ leadership

PGA Tour player Jimmy Walker criticized Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a recent interview. Over the past few years, the PGA Tour has experienced numerous changes, with several players departing to compete on LIV Golf.

This shift led to internal strife within the sport. Monahan shocked the golfing world in June 2023 by announcing a merger with LIV Golf. Nevertheless, the merger has yet to be finalized.

Walker criticized Monahan's leadership, stating that he no longer pays much attention to what Monahan says in his interview with Bunkered.

Speaking about the Tour commissioner, Walker said:

“I don’t pay much attention to what Jay says anymore. I think he’s full of it. They’ve kept us in the dark and a lot of this has been handled extremely poorly. Do I have any faith in the Tour? I don’t know. I really don’t think we’ve got some of the best and brightest working on it.”

Walker also criticized the recent developments on the Tour, saying it would create "less opportunities." He added:

"The Tour for a long time was about maximising playing opportunities for the membership and now it’s gone completely the opposite way. Now they’re creating less opportunities and it’s bad for the growth of the Tour."

Notably, the PGA Tour has implemented numerous changes in the last two years since the inception of LIV Golf. For the 2024 season, they introduced limited-field Signature Events.

Additionally, unlike previous seasons, only players securing a ranking within the top 70 in the FedEx Cup season-ending standings will be eligible to compete in the FedEx Cup finale since 2023.

Furthermore, there has been a change in the distribution of FedEx Cup points. Winning a Signature Event now grants 700 points, while winners of all other regular PGA Tour events receive 500 points.

In addition, the PGA Tour has entered into a significant $3 billion contract with Strategic Sports Group (SSG) to establish a new entity, PGA Tour Enterprises. This new venture grants shares to top-ranked PGA Tour players in the company.

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A look into Jimmy Walker's professional career

Jimmy Walker is a professional American golfer competing in pro golf since 2001. Born on January 16, 1979, the American golfer graduated from Baylor University and played amateur golf. He turned professional in 2001.

Walker began his professional journey on the Nationwide Tour and competed on the circuit for two years (2003-2004) before joining the PGA Tour in 2005. However, his rookie season on the PGA Tour was limited to only nine events due to injury. He secured his first PGA Tour victory in 2013 at the Fry's.com Open, defeating Fijian golfer Vijay Singh by two strokes.

Throughout his career, Walker has achieved significant success, winning 11 tournaments. These victories include six PGA Tour events, one European Tour event, three Korn Ferry Tour events, and two other professional tournaments. Additionally, Walker reached as high as number 15 in the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) and clinched a Major title in 2016.

As of 2024, Walker has not participated in any PGA Tour events. He competed in 31 events in the previous season and secured six top-25 finishes.