Rory McIlroy has experienced a real rollercoaster of emotions throughout the 2025 PGA Tour season.
McIlroy burst out of the blocks with three wins in his first six PGA Tour events of the season, including his thrilling Masters victory at Augusta National in April.
However, after completing the Grand Slam – his version of climbing his very own Mount Everest – things went downhill quickly for him.
McIlroy’s driver was deemed to be non-conforming just before the PGA Championship in May, and that lit the touch paper for a sequence of controversial events that followed, mostly involving his refusal to speak to the media.
Rather than really kick on into a new era of dominance after completing the Grand Slam, McIlroy took his foot off the gas so to speak, and hasn’t recorded a win since The Masters.
However, returning to Britain for the Scottish Open and The Open Championship last month seemed to reinvigorate the 36-year-old’s love for the game again.
McIlroy said he is excited for the new 2026 PGA Tour schedule, when speaking to reporters on Tuesday, and he definitely seems to be more at peace with himself right now.
With that in mind, what did he take away from a recent 90-minute meeting with new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp?
Rory McIlroy opens up on meeting with PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp
McIlroy addressed the media on Tuesday in Atlanta ahead of the upcoming Tour Championship at East Lake.
The Northern Irishman seemed to be in really good spirits, in stark contrast to his interactions with the press just a couple of months ago.
He is clearly excited about what the future holds for the PGA Tour, with Rolapp now at the helm.
McIlroy was asked what he learned about the PGA Tour CEO after meeting with him last week.
He said: “So I hadn’t met him up until last week, and I was able to spend a good 90 minutes with him just talking through everything to do with the TOUR and what’s — the whole thing over the past three or four years and what the future looks like.
“I like him. I like him a lot. I like that he doesn’t come from golf. I like that he doesn’t have any preconceived ideas of what golf should look like or what the TOUR should look like. I think he’s going to bring a fresh perspective to everything, and I think he wants to move pretty quick, so I’m excited.“
McIlroy is obviously a big fan of Rolapp and he is absolutely right – the fact that the new CEO comes into the role with no preconceived ideas can only be a good thing for the PGA Tour.
With the ongoing power struggle with LIV Golf rumbling on in the background, the PGA Tour need to continue to improve the way they do things and innovate to the best of their abilities in order to stay at the top.
It seems like Rolapp is the perfect man for the job.
What Rory McIlroy said the day Brian Rolapp was announced as the PGA Tour CEO
Back in June, McIlroy instantly reacted to the news that Rolapp had been brought on board to lead the PGA Tour on into an exciting new era.
The five-time major champion was asked what he made of the new appointment.
He said: “I haven’t met Brian yet, but obviously I followed quite a bit of the news and the coverage yesterday. He certainly said all the right things and has an amazing background, two decades in the NFL, helping them expand internationally and basically become the behemoth that they have become.
“So for him to bring that experience to the PGA TOUR I think will be amazing, and I think it’s great that Jay is there to help with the smooth transition also. Yeah, I think it’s a really positive thing for the TOUR.“
McIlroy was clearly delighted about the Rolapp news from the get-go, and he is obviously of the opinion that the PGA Tour will make great progress under their new leader.
The one question on everyone’s lips is: Will Rolapp be able to strike a deal with Scott O’Neil and LIV regarding a potential merger, so that we can all watch the best players in the world compete against each other outside of the four majors?
That remains to be seen.
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