Bryson DeChambeau left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf back in June 2022, and since then he has become one of the most popular golfers on the planet.
DeChambeau is a blockbuster star, and there is a train of thought that the PGA Tour must now be kicking themselves for allowing a situation to develop where he even considered joining LIV Golf in the first place.
But is that really the case? Do the PGA Tour need the 32-year-old back, or is he simply inconsequential as far as the Tour’s leadership is concerned?
Earlier this week, DeChambeau urged the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to unify sooner rather than later for the greater good of the game.
He draws huge attention to the game of golf wherever he is playing, so anything he says regarding a potential merger always carries real weight.
Do you think the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will ever merge?
DeChambeau’s worldwide appeal stems from his transformation into the longest hitter in the game.
It’s hard to argue that he wouldn’t be an additive influence on the PGA Tour but, crucially, does Rolapp agree with that notion?
Brian Rolapp says whether Bryson DeChambeau is a problem for the PGA Tour
Earlier this year, Brian Rolapp, who had 25 years’ experience playing a lead role with the NFL, was appointed as the new CEO of the PGA Tour.
Rolapp seems determined to make sweeping changes, and he made that very clear when he announced that he will respect golfing traditions, but he will not be overly bound by them.
When speaking during a CNBC CEO Council Forum, Rolapp fielded a wide range of questions, mostly pertaining to what the future of the professional game could look like.
Rolapp was asked whether Bryson DeChambeau playing on LIV Golf is a real problem for the PGA Tour.
He said: “I think I think Bryson is a star in he’s an amazing golfer.
“He’s also amazing for what he does off the golf course, in that, you know, the bulk of his consumption where people see him is on YouTube, by the way. I mean, they don’t see him on television because the other league doesn’t really draw a lot of viewers.
“Yeah, I think everybody wants to see the best golfers compete. But I will say, there’s a complete misconception about the sport of golf that I think is that any given tournament or competition matters, if there’s the same three or four people in it.
“You want to see the same three or four people in it, but if you look at the depth of talent of the PGA Tour, that competitive parity aspect of it is unrivalled, and there’s no tour on Earth that has the deeper amount of talent than the PGA Tour has. And every sport has stars, but what really makes sports work is also the middle class.“
Brian Rolapp’s PGA Tour / NFL comparison proves his Bryson Dechambeau point
Rolapp has made it very clear that the future of the PGA Tour will be stronger due to its competitive parity, rather than having four or five standout stars.
He explained: “So, in my old job, sure, we put the Kansas City Chiefs on primetime as much as we can, but that’s not why the NFL is so successful. It was because when the Bengals are good, you watch. When the Lions are good, you watch.
“The middle class matters. You cannot build a lifelong sport that outlives your stars if you don’t build a system that works beyond your stars.
“And I think you look at the depth of the PGA Tour, and you look at the stories that are coming out of there, I think that’s where real strength of our tour is.“
The beauty of the PGA Tour’s product right now is that they have plenty of star names, including the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.
However, the fields are so stacked with incredible talent week in, week out.
That will ensure that there are always plenty of potential underdog stories for the fans to piggyback on to.
Reading between the lines, Rolapp clearly thinks that the PGA Tour will be just fine, with or without DeChambeau.
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