Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland talks to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and Arthur Blank, Home Depot cofounder, owner of the PGA Tour Superstore, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United FC at the RBC Heritage on June 17, 2020. (File/Getty Images via AFP)
MIAMI: Tiger Woods, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank were among members of the newly created PGA Tour Enterprises board of directors revealed on Wednesday.
The for-profit group announced in January unites the PGA Tour with a collection of US team sport owners — Strategic Sports Group (SSG), which invested $1.5 billion to create investment opportunities and growth for the tour.
PGA Tour Enterprises, overseen by the 13 directors, will lead all PGA Tour commercial activities with a focus on sponsorship and commercial opportunities as well as new media and fan engagement.
Seven player directors will be on the panel while four SSG directors will include Fenway Sports Group principal Henry, MLB Red Sox president Sam Kennedy, New York Mets vice chairman Andrew Cohen and Blank, who owns the NFL Falcons and MLS’ Atlanta United.
“Our role on the Enterprises board will focus on hearing player director ideas and working alongside them to ensure the sport’s commercial growth occurs in a way that creates the best possible product for fans,” Henry said.
The board also features the six current players on the PGA Tour Policy Board — Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Peter Malnati, Adam Scott, Webb Simpson and Jordan Spieth.
The players also wanted a “director liasion” to sit on both boards and they selected former PGA Tour player Joe Ogilvie, who will now serve on both the PGA Tour Policy Board and the PGA Tour Enterprises directors board.
“We’re excited to continue to build the PGA Tour as the highest level of competition in professional golf,” Ogilvie and the player directors said in a statement.
“It’s an opportunity for us to shape something special that will not only create more value for the PGA TOUR, but will also benefit and grow our fanbase. We’re ready to get started.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and Joe Gorder, an independent director on the tour policy board, were also named to the Enterprises board, with Monahan serving as the PGA Tour Enterprises chief executive officer.
“Today’s announcement is another milestone for our organization,” Monahan said. “We have arrived at a PGA Tour Enterprises board of directors with the right composition, expertise and balance necessary to take our organization into the future.”
Tiger Woods will serve as vice chairman of the board, with a chairman to be elected at an upcoming meeting.
The PGA Tour Policy Board will expand from 12 with 14 voting members with Monahan and Ogilvie added to the group, which is in talks with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to hammer out a merger deal based on a framework agreement unveiled by Monahan to great controversy last June.
