Brian Rolapp Named PGA Tour CEO originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
White smoke lofted in the air on Tuesday as the worst-kept secret in professional golf became a fact when Brian Rolapp was announced as the CEO of PGA Tour Enterprises.
A search that began in January ended when the 20-year NFL executive was named to take on a PGA Tour that needed to see change at the highest levels.
PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will shift his responsibilities to Rolapp and will step down at the end of 2026.
Oddly, Rolapp is not a golf guy. Even though he plays golf, he was unwilling to disclose his handicap. Still, he was willing to explain his introduction to the game as a worker in the shack at the turn at Congressional Country Club outside of Washington, D.C.
But when asked substantive questions, Rolapp either deflected or said he was not prepared to answer them yet until he had time to study the situation.
“Professional golf is evolving, as are the ways fans consume sports,” Rolapp said in an open letter. “My goal as CEO is to honor golf’s traditions but not be overly bound by them.”
Translation: Get ready for some changes, but where do you begin, and what could they be?
Rolapp made no indication where change would come from, but he was clear about not throwing any shade on the chances of a LIV deal, which seemingly is dead in the water.
“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,” Rolapp said. “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.”
With the naming of a CEO driven by Strategic Sports Group, the investors that put $1.5 billion into the tour last year, the likelihood is that change is on the horizon and Rolapp will have a very short honeymoon.
“Where we deploy that capital, I have ideas,” Rolapp said. “I don’t think I want to share them now, but that’s going to be part of the job to get in there and talk about it.”
Related: Rory McIlroy Sees Worldwide Golf as Part of the LIV Discussions
Related: LIV CEO Sees Tailwind
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 18, 2025, where it first appeared.
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