WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Jason Gore spent four years at the USGA and maintained better communication with his players. The PGA Tour now hires him in a similar role.
Gore has been hired as a player advisor to the senior vice president and commissioner, the tour said Friday as a player advocate to further strengthen the relationship between the tour and its players.
The hiring comes at an important time for the Tour, which is dealing with a Saudi-funded rival tour that has already signed up 26 Tour players to LIV Golf. I flew in and attended a meeting of only some of the top players about strategy for the tour.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, who serves on the board of the PGA Tour, said Gore’s work with the USGA has brought the relationship between US Open organizers and players to a “complete 180.” He said they currently rank among the top two majors in terms of how they treat their players and the feedback they can provide.
“I think Jason will be back in the fold, especially given everything that’s going on in the world of golf right now, and I’m surprised the USGA let him go.
USGA CEO Mike Wang said in a statement to staff: It’s about making the right decision at the right time for him (and for golf).”
Goa’s best year on the tour was 2005, when he played in the final group of the US Open at Pinehurst No. 2, won the Corn Ferry Tour three times and earned immediate promotion to the PGA Tour. Then the now defunct 84 Lumber Classic.
“We are not looking for ex-players to run this. Players are players, managers are managers, they are executives and they are trained to run a business. “It’s not what they do,” McIlroy said.
He said Gore may be the “missing link” for taking ideas from players and communicating them to Commissioner Jay Monahan.
“He’s an advocate for the players. He wants to do everything he can to make them as happy as possible,” McIlroy said. “And it’s a good addition.”
___
Other AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports