The PGA Tour began a new era on Monday with Brian Rolapp tackling his first day as the new CEO – and it is fair to say that his in tray will have plenty for him to work through.
It was announced in June that Brian Rolapp would be taking over as the new CEO of the PGA Tour. Jay Monahan meanwhile is set to leave at the end of 2026 after nearly a decade as commissioner.
The decision to appoint Rolapp, unsurprisingly, caught the eye. It seemed that many felt that he was on course to become NFL commissioner at some stage in the future. So it was a real statement for the PGA Tour to convince Rolapp to take on the top job with them.
Xander Schauffele was among the players to express their excitement about Rolapp’s appointment. But he now needs to show why there was real optimism about his arrival.
The PGA Tour has been encouraged to capitalise on its partnership with the DP World Tour
Obviously, there is a lot of intrigue surrounding how his appointment will impact talks with LIV Golf. Rolapp has known LIV CEO Scott O’Neil for some time.
The PGA Tour has arguably shown this year that it can survive without a deal. But they have been encouraged to make a significant change if they want to thrive in the coming years.
Speaking on the Golf Channel, Rex Hoggard encouraged Rolapp to really embrace the partnership with the DP World Tour to maximise the interest in the PGA Tour worldwide.
Photo by Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
“I had a conversation with [Guy Kinnings] during The Open Championship and at the Scottish Open about this very topic. You look at the success of the Scottish Open on the tour schedule – now, granted, it fits into a perfect time, a week before The Open, it gives players a reason to go over and play that event – but Guy was real quick to point out the Irish Open also gives them a reason to come over, the BMW PGA – the European Tour’s flagship event – this is a partner the two of you together, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour together, can build something very special when it comes to an international schedule,” he said.
“I will say if you look at the history of the PGA Tour, they have always been reluctant to embrace international markets for a variety of reasons. Look at the World Golf Championships, it got to the point where none of them were played overseas. And I think that’s going to be thinking that they are going to have to move on from because growth in the United States is probably not at the ceiling, but you’re going to reach a point where you’re not going to grow as much. Growth internationally, I think that’s open.”
The first person Brian Rolapp has been told to meet as the PGA Tour’s new CEO
Rolapp’s lack of attachment to golf could certainly help commercially. But he has to get the balance right. There are foundations in place which have helped make the PGA Tour the best place for the superstars of the game to play.
It would not be a popular move if Rolapp decided to rip it all up and start again. And thus, Eamon Lynch has encouraged the new CEO to waste little time before starting to network.
He suggested the first person Rolapp should look to have a meeting with.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what Rolapp’s priorities are. I think he has to start with building relationships. He’s not of the golf industry. He doesn’t really know anyone in the golf industry, so he’s got to build those relationships with stakeholders,” he said.
“Start with Jack Nicklaus. Go to Florida, meet Jack. Then meet FedEx, then the sponsors, meet the tournaments, meet the players, meet the fans. You can’t overlook the fact that the fans are the biggest stakeholders in this game. And he has to be accessible to that.
“But I also think he has to prioritise spending the SSG money, the private investor money that came into the tour a year and a half ago. It’s $1.5 billion. That’s not yet been spent. So he has to develop a plan and execute on that as well.”
It remains to be seen what Rolapp decides to do in his role. But it certainly appears that fans of the PGA Tour have reason to be optimistic given his track record with the NFL.
