Transparency on PGA Tour has different meaning for players

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Transparency is the latest buzz word on the PGA Tour, especially in light of the challenge from rival golf leagues and what the tour can do to improve its relationship with players.

No one has offered a clear example of the lack of transparency, except to wonder about the source of the money for the $40 million Player Impact Program and an additional $10 million or so for the "Play 15" program. One guess would be the $7 billion media rights deal.

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Patrick Cantlay offered a unique perspective, as he often does.

"I would say one of the tough things about the way it's set up out here is the onus tends to be on the player to go and figure those things out for himself," Cantlay said. "There's not like a big debrief, or there's no one that is a professional that's really looking into it. So it seems as though if a player is interested, he can try and go down that rabbit hole and figure it out. But he's kind of on his own."

That would relate mainly to financials and business models, and Cantlay — again, no surprise — has taken time to inspect both.

Rory McIlroy offered another version as it related to discipline. The tour has had a longstanding policy of not disclosing fines or suspensions. McIlroy, while giving PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan high marks for navigating through a pandemic and the big media rights deal, said transparency was lacking.

"I've always felt that a few of the bans or suspensions, I think that should be announced," McIlroy said. "I think that should be more transparent. I've always said that."

Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the ninth fairway during the second