Patrick Cantlay is an intellectual who often comes off as cold. He lacks Jordan Spieth’s warmth and Rory McIlroy’s intensity of spirit.
But he takes his role on the Policy Board seriously; it is his responsibility to guide the PGA Tour through negotiations with LIV Golf and ensure its future viability.
The Future of the PGA Tour
As the 2019 PGA Tour season kicks off in Hawaii, Patrick Cantlay shares the uncertainty felt by fans as well as policy board member of PGA and Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), Patrick is focused on seeing through this deal to set up players both now and into the future. “My priority is seeing through this deal to support players now and into the future”, according to him.
Cantlay takes his position as Player Director — for which he was recently unanimously re-elected for three more years — very seriously and finds the camaraderie among fellow players invaluable in staying calm during difficult times.
He remains confident the tour will find a solution to make its PIF deal work, believing golf has more value than just its stars performing at iconic venues; rather it represents history, morality and loyalty all tied into one culture that holds so many layers. Furthermore, he finds the debate surrounding it quite confusing and disparate; surprising such strong views exist within it!
Negotiations with PIF
Patrick Cantlay takes his role as player director with great seriousness as negotiations between the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia to form a for-profit entity continue. In fact, he considers it to be secondary only to his golfing career.
Patrick Cantlay, who was recently appointed for another three-year term by player directors, has long served as an advocate for player interests since joining the Policy Board in 2023. Since then, he has fielded questions ranging from possible PIF-sponsored rallies and Rome’s decision not to wear team hats to Sports Illustrated reports stating he had taken control of things and become “arguably the most powerful person on the PGA Tour (including its commissioner).”
But he remains focused on his main task of overseeing this merger, setting up players both immediately and for future consideration.
The Role of the Player Director
The Player Director or Director of Player Personnel in certain sports leagues is a top management position that works directly to support the players on a team, whether amateur, college, or professional. Depending on its level and status – whether amateur, college, or professional–this may mean providing training, assistance with contract negotiations or recruiting new talent into the fold.
Patrick Cantlay joined the Policy Board in 2023 and quickly found himself at the forefront of PIF negotiations this week as one of six player directors on tour. Contrary to reports that he is trying to exert control over these talks, his main priority remains securing deals that set players up for long-term success.
Cantlay is known to be both intelligent and distant at times, which may explain his decision not to wear a Team USA cap at this year’s Ryder Cup. But his decision caused significant uproar this week among commentators and supporters of both nations, sparking criticism on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Future of LIV Golf
Patrick Cantlay initially considered joining a policy board as an unnecessary expense. But after experiencing back problems which forced him to alter his technique, Cantlay gladly contributed his time for the benefit of golf as a whole.
Saudi Arabia’s recent investment in sports has not gone without controversy, and some critics have accused it of using these investments to obscure human rights abuses committed against individuals like Jamal Khashoggi who died at Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s hands.
Patrick Cantlay insists he takes his role incredibly seriously and remains dedicated to ensuring PGA Tour members receive fair treatment in negotiations with PIF, no matter the cost to himself personally.
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