What was Jimmy Dunne’s role on the PGA Tour Policy Board? All you need to know

Jimmy Dunne served as one of the independent directors on the PGA Tour Policy Board alongside Ed Herlihy, Mark Flaherty, Joe Gorder, and Mary Meeker. Dunne and Herlihy proposed a deal with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF) in 2023.

In June of last year, the PGA Tour decided to merge with PIF, a proposal headed by Dunne and Herlihy. Moreover, Dunne even met with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to initiate the deal further.

However, the deal came as a shock to the golf world, and Dunne faced criticism from Tour members. He was not included in the Tour's transaction team, and later, the Tour created a players' directors group consisting only of golfers from the PGA Tour, seemingly diminishing Dunne's influence on the framework agreement.

According to Golf Digest, Jimmy Dunne's role on the PGA Tour was to oversee the merger deal with LIV Golf. Dunne is an avid golfer and serves as the vice chairman and senior managing principal of Piper Sandler.

Upon resigning from his PGA Tour Policy Board position, Jimmy Dunne expressed frustration with the recent changes in the golf industry. In his statement, Dunne wrote (as quoted by SI):

"As you are aware, I have not been asked to take part in negotiations with the PIF since June 2023. During my testimony at the Senate hearing, I said it was my intention to cast my vote alongside the Player Directors if a final agreement was reached with the PIF. Since the players now outnumber the Independent Directors on the Board, and no meaningful progress has been made towards a transaction with the PIF, I feel like my vote and my role is utterly superfluous."

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Who are the members of PGA Tour Policy Board?

The 2024 PGA Tour Board of Directors comprises independent directors, Players Directors, Champions Division board members, along with the Korn Ferry Tour chairman. There were five independent directors, including Ed Herlihy (Policy Board Chairman), Mark Flaherty, Joe Gorder, Mary Meeker, and Jimmy Dunne. However, with Dunne's resignation, only four independent directors remain on the board.

Additionally, the PGA Tour includes a group of six golfer directors known as Players Directors. This group comprises Tiger Woods, Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth, Adam Scott, and Peter Malnati.

Previously, Rory McIlroy also served as one of the Players Directors, but he resigned from the position in November 2023, leading to Spieth joining the board. Recently, some of the Players Directors rejected McIlroy's bid to return to the board. However, the Tour has included him in the Transaction Subcommittee, which is now responsible for direct communication with PIF regarding their negotiation deal.

Apart from these roles, Jay Monahan serves as the Commissioner of the PGA Tour, while John Lindert is the PGA of America Director. Vince India serves as the Korn Ferry Tour PAC Chairman, and Steve Flesch, Jeff Maggert, Scott Parel, and David Toms are the PGA Tour Champions Division Players Directors.