Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy return to action this week at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Scheffler endured a really frustrating US Open championship last week, and he will be looking to bounce back at the Travelers Championship this week.
The same can be said for McIlroy, who has struggled massively since the PGA Championship last month.
Aside from the actual golf tournament this week, there is a lot of chatter surrounding the news of the new PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.
Rolapp will take over the role from Jay Monahan, with the current commissioner set to slowly transition his daily responsibilities to the new man until he leaves his post in 2026.
And Rolapp will assume full day-to-day duties later this summer.
Monahan has endured huge criticism over the past year or so, and Xander Schauffele welcomed the appointment of Rolapp on Tuesday.
But what do Scheffler and McIlroy think about the former Executive Vice President of NFL media?
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy react to Brian Rolapp becoming new PGA Tour CEO
Scheffler cut a hugely frustrated figure at the US Open last week, but he seemed a lot more at ease when addressing the media on Wednesday morning.
He was asked by reporters to give his verdict on the news that the PGA Tour has a new incoming CEO.
He said, “What do I hope to see? I think it’s exciting to have some new leadership. I think Brian will bring some good energy. Literally the first time I heard him speak was yesterday, so I really don’t know much about him. I liked what I heard yesterday.
“I think our board and Jay and everybody put a lot of research into finding his successor, and to be able to get somebody from the NFL, especially somebody high up at the NFL, I think is pretty cool. The NFL is obviously a very successful organization. He’s got a lot of experience and some new thought processes he can bring to the TOUR, and I think it’s exciting.“
He was then asked whether he thinks the PGA Tour membership is unanimously on board with the appointment of Rolapp.
Scheffler responded, “I really have no idea. I didn’t even get to meet Brian yesterday. I had to leave the meeting a couple minutes early. It went a little longer than I thought it would, and I had to sneak out at the last second. So I didn’t even get a chance to meet him, let alone talk to anybody else about a new commissioner or anything like that.
“We had heard some rumblings that that was going to happen yesterday morning, but it really only happened a day ago. So I haven’t really heard the temperature. I assume it’s all good things. I liked what I got to hear yesterday, so I would assume that’s pretty much the opinion of most people in the room.
“There definitely wasn’t anybody grumbling or shouting or anything like that, so it seemed like all good news.“
Then McIlroy was asked to deliver his opinion on the news that Rolapp is set to lead the PGA Tour into a new era.
The Northern Irishman 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.“
The one really good thing for the PGA Tour is Rolapp will bring fresh perspective to the table – something that has been missing from the leadership in recent years.
Rolapp has one main priority in new PGA Tour gig
The 53-year-old surely has one specific item right at the top of his agenda.
Rolapp has to find a way to help facilitate a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV golf.
It’s simply not fair that we, as golf fans, only get to see the best players in the world compete alongside one another on four occasions throughout the season.
Overseeing a merger between the two tours will obviously be easier said than done.
But if Rolapp truly wants to write his name in the history books, getting the PGA Tour and LIV on the same page moving forward will be an absolute must.
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