Jay Monahan's pay rose, PGA Tour's legal fees soared in ‘22

Field Level Media|published: Wed 13th December, 15:29 2023

Aug 27, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; PGA TOUR commissioner Jay Monahan waits on the 18th green during the final round of the TOUR Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club. credits: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan earned a $4.7 million pay raise in 2022 while the league's legal fees soared more than 10 times year-over-year, according to the nonprofit's IRS filing obtained by Sportico.

Monahan earned $18.6 million in 2022, up from $13.9 million in 2021, Sportico reported.

At the same time, the Tour's legal fees increased by a factor of 10 to $20.7 million — reporting from just the first five months of the league's legal war against LIV Golf. Golfers who jumped to LIV from the PGA Tour sued the league in August 2022 with the Tour filing a countersuit. The Tour reported $1.2 million in legal fees in 2021.

The $20.7 million was more than the previous 14 years combined, according to Sportico. The costs of fighting LIV were an impetus for the Tour to enter into a three-way merger with LIV and the DP World Tour in June, with Monahan saying that Tour by that point had spent $50 million in legal fees.

"We cannot compete with a foreign government with unlimited money," Monahan reportedly told PGA Tour staff, according to The Wall Street Journal. "This was the time... We waited to be in the strongest possible position to get this deal in place."

The Tour reported $1.9 billion in revenue in 2022, up from 1.59 billion in 2021, per Sportico.

—Field Level Media