Amanda Balionis Quietly Helping Golf Creator Who’s on Poor Terms With PGA Tour: ‘Been Really Supportive’

For ardent golf lovers, Ryan French could be a bit like Batman. Working in the shadows, behind a mask (that is his X account), trying to bring justice to the sport of golf. No, there is no hyperbole involved. Ryan French is the brain behind the X account, Monday Q Info, the goal of which is pretty simple. Shine a spotlight on the unseen. In normal words, it means that French tries to tell the stories that go unnoticed. Not one of the top golfers and administrators, but the ones who love the sport beyond measure are willing to make the necessary sacrifices to achieve their dreams. Similar to his Monday Q Info venture, French has another initiative that has garnered the support of golf’s one familiar figure, Amanda Balionis.

She recently donated some clothes to the ‘Drive Fore The Future’ program. The program was envisioned by Ryan French himself along with Chris Gallagher with the aim of making golf more accessible to kids with disadvantageous economic backgrounds. A noble cause for the betterment of sports.

French expressed his gratitude for the same with a tweet and shared a photo of them side by side. The note in his tweet explained that Balionis has been extremely supportive of his ventures. “Tonight I met her for the first time and thanked her. She has credited me every time she has used stuff of mine and been really supportive of what I’m doing,”  French’s wrote.

This is an incredible initiative from French, and now that it has garnered support from a top personality like Balionis, there should be more such supportive gestures. This is only apt, considering how Ryan French has been transforming the PGA Tour landscape with his stories. A recent post of his regarding an ambitious golfer called Andre Chi was highly influential.

Chi, a graduate of Methodist University, had the dream of making it on the PGA Tour. However, he was challenged financially to pursue his ambitions, but he refused to give up. Chi continued to play section events and finally went to the Valspar pre-qualifying on his credit card. With strong resolve and grit by his side, he played through the holes one by one, carding 66 on day 1 and then a brilliant 67 on day 2 to ensure qualification. He was too broke to stay in Florida. Chi had reached out to French, who helped him out.

Ryan French helped him out and shared his story with the rest of the world on his X page. What followed was an outpouring of support, with several golf fans sending money over to the golfer to aid in his pursuit. These are the stories that make golf what it is.

Considering that Ryan French aims to elevate the status of the PGA Tour and golf in general, it is a bit of a surprise to know that the Tour does not see the creator as a favorable party.

Ryan French vs. the PGA Tour

Recently, in an episode of the Subpar podcast, the Monday Q Info creator explained candidly the situation between him and the PGA Tour. “90% of my tweets promote players that they don’t promote. And I am doing it for free. I am happy to do it. I don’t want to get paid or anything like that. At times, the PGA Tour forgets that I am on their side. I love the PGA Tour. I want it to be successful.” French stated.

However, there are times when he has been openly against certain decisions of the PGA Tour, especially the ones about their Monday Qualifying concept. The PGA Tour will be reducing the field sizes from the 2026 season to ensure that the games finish on schedule. As part of their field reduction bid, they have removed Monday qualifiers from seven of their events, including the Sony Open and the WM Phoenix Open.

Ryan French was vehemently against the exclusion of these events, as they had a lot of hopeful golfers who were looking to catch their break. The sudden exodus of these events means that golf loses its touch with “I am happy to tell the stories. I think it gets lost because 10% of my tweets are critical. It is frustrating to meat it [relationship with PGA Tour] is adversarial.”  The American stated.

His pangs with the PGA Tour notwithstanding, French has done an amazing job in bringing a lot of potential to the forefront of the golfing world. Do you think the PGA Tour should be more accommodating to French’s crusade to bring the spotlight to more deserving candidates?