Rolapp accepts CEO helm at PGA Tour
NFL exec brings new ideas, clout; Monahan will remain as commish through 2026
New CEO Brian Rolapp speaks with commissioner Jay Monahan and Policy Board member Adam Scott (PGA Tour)
The PGA Tour has gone outside of its comfort zone. For the first time since the PGA Tour was founded, it is going with a leader who comes from outside the world of golf to take over at the Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., headquarters. And it has tapped someone from the most successful of all American sports entities — the NFL.
Brian Rolapp was named the CEO of the PGA Tour on Tuesday, a new position created in the aftermath of major change at the tour which now has a for-profit arm that is charged with not only innovating but in generating a healthy return to pay player equity stakes.
As Rolapp noted in his first official media availability on Tuesday at the Travelers Championship, he essentially works for the players, who now own the PGA Tour. That’s different than his executive role at the NFL, where under commissioner Roger Goodell — a role that Rolapp may and could be still in line for eventually — he worked for the owners.
“I think ultimately what has attracted me about this opportunity is that it’s unique in sports in that the players own the tour,” said Rolapp at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut, site of the week’s Travelers. “It’s their tour. They are the shareholders. They are the owners, so I certainly work for them.
“Having said that, and we talked a little bit about this in our player meeting, I think they know what’s good for fans is also good for the tour. Working in the sports business as long as I have, sometimes it’s not that complicated. If you think what’s best for the fan, it’s usually best for everybody involved. So I think we’re going to keep that mindset here.”
As part of the announcement, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will transition out of his position over the next 18 months. He was part of the hiring process for Rolapp and will stick around to help him acclimate to his new role. It is unclear if Monahan will be replaced as commissioner after his contract expires at the end of next year. It’s possible the tour would still want a commissioner to run the PGA Tour as it has people in place who oversee the Champions Tour as well as the Korn Ferry Tour.
But Rolapp will clearly be in charge, reporting to both the PGA Tour Policy Board as well as the PGA Tour Enterprises Board. Monahan gets a nice runway to leave and perhaps his time will be viewed differently with more perspective and the understanding that he steered professional golf through the pandemic and was forced into a remarkable situation with the emergence of LIV Golf, one that was extremely challenging to navigate.
Of course, that divide in the men’s professional game still exists, and the now two-year-old “framework agreement” that Monahan was part of negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia — and for which in many places he was vilified — remains unresolved. A deal to form an alliance has yet to occur. It seems the sides are further apart than ever.
Brian Rolapp talks to Golf Channel’s Rex Hoggard at the Travelers (PGA Tour)
Could Rolapp — who has a relationship with new LIV CEO Scott O’Neil going back to their days in Harvard Business School together — make a difference in reaching a settlement? Could a new set of eyes and someone who doesn’t come from the institutional side of the PGA Tour look at things differently? It’s possible.
It didn’t take long for Rolapp to get questions about it on Tuesday in Connecticut, where he was introduced after a player meeting.
“I think everyone is talking about that,” Rolapp said. “My view is I come in with a pretty clean sheet of paper. I also come in knowing that there’s a lot to learn.
“Everything that works in the football world may not work in the golf world. When it comes to that situation particularly, I think the fans have been pretty clear. They want to see the best golfers competing against each other. … I agree with that.
“When it comes to the situation with LIV, I think that’s a complex situation that’s probably something I should learn more about before I speak. But I will say my focus is on growing the tour, making it better, and really moving on from the position of strength that it has.”
Brian Rolapp is introduced as CEO at the Travelers Championship and attended players meeting (PGA Tour)
Rolapp comes to the PGA Tour after 20 years at the NFL in various roles at the executive level, most recently as the league’s chief media and business officer. He worked closely on all of the league’s media initiatives and importantly oversaw broadcast and digital rights deals, the NFL Network, NFL Films, sponsorships and consumer products. He was directly involved in the NFL’s expansion beyond traditional broadcast partners, adding streaming partnerships with Amazon, Netflix and YouTube.
The PGA Tour’s current media rights deals end in 2030. Rolapp’s experience with arguably the most successful professional sports league in the world should come in handy as he crosses over — starting with the media rights partners.
“I think there’s three things … that we can take from the NFL that I think applies to golf,” Rolapp said.
“One is you sort of relentlessly focus on the game, getting the competition right, getting the highest level of competition is extremely important. That’s something we obsessed about (at the NFL).
“I think, second, finding the right partners. That’s not only sponsors, but media partners could help grow the game distribute the game, reach as many fans as possible. That’s something we’ll look at.
“And I think third is a constant mindset of innovation. You have to change. I think I said it in my fan letter, we’re going to honor tradition, but we’re not going to be unnecessarily bound by it, and where it makes sense to change, we’re going to do that. I think that’s something to take from my previous experience that I’m excited to apply here.”
For two years, the PGA Tour has been working to come to an agreement with the PIF — which backs LIV Golf — with no resolution forthcoming. After talks seemed promising earlier in the year, a deal now seems less imminent.
Asked if he believed the PGA Tour could move on without a deal with the PIF, Rolapp said: “Again, I’m not close enough to any of those discussions, but I will say what I saw regardless of that is a very strong tour. I see a strong product. I see strong golfers. I think the signature events have been a huge and important progression in the sport. So I see strength that, just don’t take my word for it, look at the underlying fundamentals; they’re strong. I think that really speaks to some of the changes that have been made in the last few years.”
Brian Rolapp and Tiger Woods (PGA Tour)
Perhaps Rolapp is willing to soften on some of the stances the PGA Tour and Monahan have taken in regards to LIV Golf. But, those decisions were not all made by Monahan. His board is also in on that, including one very prominent member named Tiger Woods. Rolapp praised Woods’ work for the board and it was clear he had done his homework on what the legendary golfer has brought to the board room.
The sides are said to be far apart and who wants what is unclear. Is there room for compromise? That is what is needed in order for the best of the best to play together more often than the four major championships, a point Rolapp acknowledged.
Rolapp was vetted by members of the Strategic Sports Group, which has invested $1.5 billion in PGA Tour Enterprises. Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and a member of SSG, was on hand Tuesday for the announcement, as was Woods, who is recovering from an Achilles injury.
“I think I would classify Tiger’s influence as significant,” Rolapp said. “He works hard. He’s smart. He’s dedicated. I would say that about Tiger and all these player representatives and other board members, they work really hard and they care a lot.
“I think the amount of time and work they’re putting into this and rethinking this has been very impressive to me, and I think I would point out Tiger specifically. He certainly cares about the game. I won’t speak for him. He can speak for himself. But from what I’ve seen, the amount of time and dedication and work he’s putting into this is — he’s driving, doing this for, not his legacy necessarily, but he’s doing it for the benefit of the next generation of players, and that comes through significantly.”
It is going to take some time for Rolapp to get up to speed. He comes from outside of the PGA Tour, which has had just four commissioners in its time dating to 1968 — the last two covering three decades specifically groomed inside the walls of the headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Joe Dey, the first commissioner, had long been associated with the United States Golf Association and was well known in golf. Deane Beman succeeded him and while he was not an executive at the beginning, he knew the inner workings of tournament golf, having been a respectable tour player. Beman was behind the ingenious plan to make all tournaments non-profits to benefit charity.
Tim Finchem. who followed Beman in 1994, had been deputy commissioner for several years and worked a long time at the PGA Tour before moving up. Same for Monahan, who had been a tournament director, and then came to the tour in charge of the Players Championship. These people were all groomed from within the game, if not the PGA Tour specifically.
Now a new person outside the realm of golf is on board and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out.