Latest news with #Monahan
New Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Jay Monahan on Rory McIlroy's schedule: 'I don't have any concern'
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan came to the defense of Rory McIlroy, whose tournament scheduling plan will leave him out of the Memorial Tournament this week and mark the third signature event he has missed this season. "The beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule," Monahan told reporters on Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club, site of this week's Memorial Tournament. "What Rory McIlroy has done, I think he's played in this tournament every year since 2017. And you look at the tournaments that he's supported. I don't have any concern, because you look at this on balance over time, his support of our tournaments and our partners is extraordinary." In addition to skipping this week's 50th edition of the Memorial, the world's No. 2 player also bypassed The Sentry and the RBC Heritage, both signature events. McIlroy, 36, raised a few eyebrows by opting to skip the Memorial Tournament in favor of next week's RBC Canadian Open. The native of Northern Ireland has admitted to a preference of playing the week before a major championship. The Memorial Tournament and Canadian Open flipped places on the calendar this year, with the Canadian now leading directly into the June 12-15 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania. McIlroy completed the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters last month. He earned his first green jacket and fifth career major in dramatic fashion, overcoming two double bogeys in the first round and two more on Sunday before beating England's Justin Rose in a playoff. "Look at the season that Rory has had. He's had a life-altering season," Monahan said. "He's won the Players Championship, you win the Masters Tournament, you win the (career) Grand Slam and you win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am."
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson mockingly responds to Rory McIlroy's PGA Tour snub of Memorial Tournament
McIlroy is skipping the Memorial Tournament for the first time since 2016, with PGA Tour commissioner Monahan defending players' freedom to select their schedules LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson has taken a swipe at PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan over his defence of Rory McIlroy's decision to give this week's Memorial Tournament a miss. Masters champion McIlroy is sitting out his third signature event of the season, having previously missed The Sentry and the RBC Heritage. The Northern Irishman's decision to skip the tournament at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, follows his refusal to speak to the press after each round of the PGA Championship a fortnight ago. McIlroy's media snub came on the back of a report that his driver didn't pass standard testing by the United States Golf Association ahead of the tournament, forcing him to switch to a backup. The 36 year old ended up sharing 47th place at Quail Hollow. The world No. 2 wasn't in the lineup for the Charles Schwab Challenge last week, and the Memorial Tournament marks the third of the tour's $20 million elevated events that he has chosen not to participate in this year. McIlroy hasn't yet given a reason for his absence at Muirfield Village, even to tournament host Jack Nicklaus, although he is scheduled to play three consecutive events starting next week at the Canadian Open. Monahan has made it clear that he isn't bothered by McIlroy's absence this week, praising his support for the tournament over the years. The commissioner also believes one of the strengths of the PGA Tour is players' ability to decide when and where they compete. PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan spoke to Sports Illustrated about player autonomy within the tour. "You look at the beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule," Monahan said. " Rory McIlroy I think has played this tournament every year since 2017 [13 times overall] and you look at the tournaments he has supported ... I don't have any concern because you look at this, on balance, over time, his support of our tournaments and our partners is extraordinary." Highlighting Rory McIlroy's fantastic season, Monahan continued: "Look at the season that Rory has had. He's had a life-altering season. He's won the Players Championship, you win the Masters Tournament, you win the [career] Grand Slam and you win the ATandT Pebble Beach Pro-Am." Phil Mickelson, instrumental in LIV Golf 's inception last year, reacted with laughter to Monahan's remarks. He dropped a couple of laughing emojis as a reply to Monahan's comments on social media. Additionally, Mickelson seized the chance to critique the PGA Tour's offerings. While PGA Tour golfers enjoy the freedom to choose which events to enter from a packed roster of stateside competitions, LIV Golf members are bound to play across the entirety of its more limited yet worldwide schedule. Six-time major winner Mickelson thinks the PGA Tour's current model, where players aren't required to participate in specific events, benefits the players but is limiting the tour's global growth. Sponsors are uncertain whether top players will compete in the events they're supporting. "It's why the PGA Tour won't ever be able to move throughout the world, why sponsors don't know what they are buying, why fans haven't seen all the best compete against each other consistently for decades, and why no other sport successfully uses this model. It was great for me and all players, but not good for anyone else."
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Rory McIlroy backed by PGA Tour commissioner despite skipping third signature event
The Masters champion has opted not to compete in the event, which is annually hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village in Ohio, and has thus far not given a reason why he is not playing. This is the first time since 2017 that McIlroy has not included the Memorial as part of his schedule but continues a trend this year of not being a regular fixture in the PGA Tour's elevated tournaments. The World No.2 also opted to skip the season-opening Sentry in January as well as April's RBC Heritage, the latter of which was more understandable given it came a week after his emotional victory at Augusta. It is worth pointing out that McIlroy has not only played in four other signature events this year but won one, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, while he was also the champion at the PGA Tour's flagship event, The Players Championship, in March. But despite not playing in three of the seven signature events thus far this season, and with his attendance at next month's Travelers Championship still up for debate, Monahan has come out in defence of McIlroy when speaking from Ohio. 'You look at the beauty of our model is that our players have the ability to select their schedule,' Monahan told a group of reporters at Muirfield Village. 'Rory McIlroy I think has played this tournament every year since 2017 and you look at the tournaments he has supported… I don't have any concern because you look at this, on balance, over time, his support of our tournaments and our partners is extraordinary. 'Look at the season that Rory has had. He's had a life-altering season. He's won the Players Championship, you win the Masters Tournament, you win the (career) Grand Slam and you win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.' The PGA Tour's eight signature events were created in 2022 as a response to the growing threat of LIV Golf, with the likes of McIlroy and Tiger Woods pushing the format of reduced 72-player fields, with each tournament possessing a prize fund of $20million and five of them carrying no 36-hole cut. Initially players were only allowed to skip one signature event they qualified for as a way of ensuring the top players all participated, although that requirement was dropped last year after McIlroy was essentially fined part of his Player Impact Bonus for skipping two events in 2023. Rather than play at the Memorial, the Holywood man will instead tee it up at next week's RBC Canadian Open, an event he has won twice, as his final preparation for the U.S. Open at Oakmont, which begins on June 12. Although McIlroy decided to skip his tournament, host Nicklaus said on Tuesday that he held nothing against the Northern Irishman for doing so, commenting: 'It surprised me. But guys have got schedules and got things they do. I haven't talked to him for him to tell me why or why not. It's just his call. 'I made a lot of calls that I had to make when I played to play or not play and sometimes it wasn't as popular as people thought it was. But sometimes you have to make those calls. I don't hold anything against Rory for that. "He did what he likes to play. I know he likes to play so many in a row. He likes to play the week before a U.S. Open. And so he… that's what he's doing. So I really don't have a comment on it. 'It's very difficult. I'm a big Rory fan, I always have been. I'm sure that I will remain that way. I just, I was a little surprised, yes.'
The Age
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Age
Pop-rock veterans Train deliver a crowd-pleaser with special Sydney surprise
Say what you will about American pop-rock veterans Train, but they work hard to get the audience on their side. In third song If It's Love, frontman Pat Monahan pulls out his phone and begins filming the room, asking the crowd to go crazy for the clip he'll post to Instagram. During an extended Meet Virginia, which gives guitarist Taylor Locke an opportunity to show off his chops, Monahan takes a break from singing to lob Train T-shirts into the masses. The cleverly constructed set-list also plays its part with staples such as Hey, Soul Sister, Play That Song, a spirited Save Me, San Francisco and a beautifully tender Marry Me peppered with several moments tailored for the Sydney audience. First is a cover of Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know, with Scottish artist KT Tunstall – who earlier delivered a hugely entertaining support set – singing the parts made famous by Kimbra, before duetting with Monahan on the slick country pop of Train's own Bruises. The other surprise guest is INXS' Andrew Farriss, who wanders onstage and dutifully makes it his own for renditions of INXS classics Never Tear Us Apart and Don't Change. The band even cede the spotlight before the latter so that Farriss can show off an abbreviated country-rock version of the song, which proves to be more puzzling than anything else. Oddly, though, it's in these moments that the show really comes to life, with Tunstall providing an injection of joyful energy, and Farriss an element of spontaneity, that are otherwise largely absent. There's no faulting the band, their musicianship or the smooth precision with which they perform hits such as Drive By or rousing finale Drops of Jupiter, every vocal harmony immaculate.
South Wales Argus
22-05-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service responds to report
That's the view of Fin Monahan, chief fire officer at South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said after His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) shared their report into the findings of an inspection they carried out of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service in November 2024. This is the first time this has been done in Wales, and used the HMICFRS inspection regime applied elsewhere in the UK. Addressing colleagues yesterday, Mr Monahan said: 'The report is a hard read. 'The main areas for us to improve in the report are understanding the risk of fire and other emergencies and protecting the public through fire regulations. 'We appreciate the feedback from colleagues that informed the report, and we thank the inspection team for the independent clarity they have given across 11 areas covering efficiency, effectiveness and people. 'I welcome this report, this is the first time we have been exposed to this deep inspection regime. Let's remember a lot of time has elapsed since the inspection. It began before my arrival and concluded during my second week in the Service; it is a snapshot in time from six months ago. Much has changed since then. 'I would like to reassure you. We have a robust plan for dealing with these recommendations in the form of our overarching strategy, which is a first for this service. It has 60 work strands and now guides the strategic plan and all other activities in this Service. We have already moved out on much of this work.' The Commissioners for South Wales FRA said they welcomed the report. 'This work builds on the earlier reports by the Chief Fire and Rescue Advisor to the Welsh government and the Fenella Morris KC review. 'This report provides a solid assessment of performance against a comprehensive range of factors that are commonly assessed against in the rest of the UK Fire and Rescue Services. We are pleased that, since the inspection in late 2024 that a considerable amount of progress has been made in addressing the recommendations in the report. 'One of the commissioners, Carl Foulkes, chairs the service improvement board which continues to monitor performance on progress and delivery every six weeks. 'We look forward to HMICFRS's revisit in the next 12-18 months and we are confident in the rate and level of progress which is being made in delivering those outcomes.' Further background information on progress on improvements being delivered is available on South Wales Fire and Rescue.
