PGA Tour board member Randall Stephenson submits resignation citing concerns regarding SHOCK golf merger
On Sunday, PGA Tour policy board member Randall Stephenson submitted his resignation. The 63-year-old claimed he has "serious concerns" regarding the merger as a reason for his leave.
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Randall Stephenson (Pic Credit: NY Post)
In the past month, the world has golf has seen several big changes. The shocking merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been the key reason for it. On Sunday, long-time PGA Tour policy board member, Randall Stephenson tendered his resignation. The 63-year-old cited “serious concerns” regarding the merger as his reason for stepping down.
The PGA Tour and its commissioner Jay Monahan received severe abuse from fans and players following the announcement. A few days after this, the tour announced that the top players along with the policy board will be involved in the final approval. This sudden resignation of Stephenson raises several questions regarding it. This could play a part in future talks.
According to the announcement by the PGA Tour, the deal will first need the approval of the 10-board members. Five of these members are current players including Rory McIlroy and Patrick Cantlay. Stephenson had been a part of the tour’s top board since 2012. According to reports from the Washington Post, he was supposed to resign a few weeks earlier.
In his letter, Stephenson claimed he intended to part ways six days after the merger was announced on June 12. However, the sudden medical leave of Monahan delayed his exit. Stephenson claimed that he cannot objectively evaluate or show his support. The reason he gave for this was the US intelligence report concerning Jamal Khashoggi in 2018. Khashoggi was a journalist who was assassinated. He further hopes that the board “rethinks” about the agreement and its consequences.
PGA Tour refuses to comment on Randall Stephenson resignation
To say that the PGA Tour is not under the intense hatred of fans would not be wrong. The Tour has received plenty of backlash from the fans and it does not seem to slow down soon. This resignation of Stephenson once again prompted actions by the tour. They have though made no statement regarding this development and refused to offer any comments.
The tour though did send out a letter of appreciation for him. They thanked him for his great services but did not mention any reason for his leave. Stephenson is expected to be replaced by someone, elected by the four other members remaining. Any concrete timeline for his replacement has not been set. It could be a while to find someone to fill his shoes.
The tour board is headed by chairman Ed Herlihy and Jimmy Dunne. Those two were said to be key members of the golf merger. Mark Flaherty and Mary Meeker are the other two members of the board. The player directors board including McIlroy and Cantlay consists of Webb Simpson, Peter Malnati, and Charley Hoffman. These five players hold the key to the future of golf.
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Vinay Dave
(1743 Articles Published)