By Torleif Sorenson on 3/20/14

Jay Monahan is the new deputy commissioner of the PGA Tour — and, quite probably, the eventual successor to commissioner Tim Finchem. He currently serves as the tour's chief marketing officer, where his responsibilities include sponsor relations and corporate marketing.

The 43-year-old Monahan has a pretty long association with golf going back to his high school days. Monahan earned his B.A. at Trinity College (where he also played golf) and his master's in sports management from U-Mass Amherst. He worked with IMG to help create the Deutsche Bank Championship, which began in 2003 and is now part of the FedExCup playoff system.

Prior to joining the PGA Tour, Monaham was an executive VP with Fenway Sports Group, the corporate parent of baseball's Boston Red Sox — seemingly a dream job for most Boston-area kids. But as GolfWeek's Jim McCabe helpfully explains, he left the Red Sox only because he also loves golf.

The praise for Monahan seems nearly universal.

PGA Tour player and Policy Board member Paul Goydos said, "I've been around him a little bit. He seems very intelligent, very bright, knows what he's talking about. More importantly, he seems to have the confidence of the people who work with him on a daily basis."

Seth Waugh, who was on the management team that built the Deutsche Bank Championship, says "From the beginning he impressed Tim and everyone else. He has done his job quietly and methodically, and he's let [this promotion] come to him. What Jay brings with him is a level of trust. He says what he's going to do, and he does that every time."

Finchem is 66 years old and will have served as commissioner for 20 years this coming June 1. (Finchem will be 69 when his current contract as Commissioner expires in 2016.) And perhaps not coincidentally, Finchem was the last person to hold the title of "deputy commissioner" in 1994 — when he was promoted to succeed Deane Beaman.

Monahan's promotion is effective on April 1 and will report directly to Finchem.

And that's no April Fools joke.


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