The PGA Tour have appointed a new CEO. Brian Rolapp, who spent nearly two decades with the National Football League (NFL), has plenty of work to do in the role.
Commissioner Jay Monahan is set to stand down at the end of his contract, although he will remain with the PGA Tour through the 2026 season.
Rolapp won’t directly replace the departing commissioner, but he will have an important job to do regarding the divide in the men’s game right now.
“When it comes to the situation with LIV,” said Rolapp, “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.”
While Monahan has worked to improve things on the PGA Tour, there has been little to no progress between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf since the Framework Agreement was reached in June 2023 to reunite the game.
Could Rolapp move things forward in this regard?
Brian Rolapp has the chance to reunite the PGA Tour and LIV Golf
The new CEO will enter his role filled with plenty of ideas on how he can make the PGA Tour even better.
Perhaps the most important aspect of his role, especially in the near future, will be how he might bring both sides of the men’s game together.
A date of December 31, 2023, was set in order to complete the deal to reunite the two sides, but negotiations are still ongoing.
On the surface, it doesn’t appear that change will occur anytime soon, and this is when Rolapp might be ready to step up in his new role.
Can the new CEO work together with Saudi PIF and Yasir Al Rumayyan to make progress in this ongoing deal?
Considering he and Scott O’Neil, CEO of LIV Golf, go all the way back to their Harvard Business School days, the future might be bright indeed.
