While the golfing world is still waiting to see what impact Brian Rolapp’s appointment has on the PGA Tour in the long run, it definitely does appear that the new CEO is off to an encouraging start in Ponte Vedra.
Brian Rolapp began his job as the new CEO of the PGA Tour late last month. Of course, there are a number of items on his agenda for the months and years to come.
Some were immediately excited about the appointment. Xander Schauffele suggested that the PGA Tour will benefit from Rolapp coming in from the NFL, rather than being a part of golf’s ecosystem throughout his career.
Many were impressed by Rolapp’s press conference ahead of the Tour Championship. While speaking at East Lake, he announced the formation of the Future Competition Committee – which will see Tiger Woods serve as the chairman.
But there is something else which Rolapp has already done which has seen him receive plenty of plaudits.
Brian Rolapp praised for what he has done since starting his role as the PGA Tour CEO
Of course, one of the big challenges when it comes to running the PGA Tour is keeping everyone happy. The fans, the sponsors, the players and the business people will have different ideas about the direction the tour should go in.
In fact, there is likely to be a divide among the players based on where they sit in the standings. Someone looking to keep their card is likely to see different issues to Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.
But Rolapp has wasted no time reaching out to players. And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Rex Hoggard insisted that he has been hugely impressed by the work the CEO has done.
“The part that sort of stood out to me is I’ve been amazed how many players, I’ve probably spoken with a dozen players who have had either in-person conversations with him or who have jumped on a phone call with him. And these aren’t just players who were here, this is different,” he said.
“The Tour Championship includes the top 30, these are the top players on the PGA Tour this year. Two of the players that I’ve talked to aren’t even here. One of them didn’t even make it to the playoffs, and he had a 45-minute conversation over the last few weeks with Brian Rolapp.
“Rory McIlroy, 90 minutes, Harris English, 45 minutes. Anyone, Billy Horschel is here, he’s not playing in the event, but he’s here for the Atlanta Drive celebration winning the TGL title. He had an hours-long conversation with Brian Rolapp.
“And when I sort of drill down, two things stand out. He is an outsider. He has leaned into the idea he’s an outsider.
“He is not a golf guy. I think he told me at the Traveler’s Championship when I interviewed him, they didn’t hire me to be a golf guy. They hired me to be an innovator.
“They hired me to be a business guy. They hired me to do media rights deals. That’s what I did at the NFL.
“And he’s leaning in to the idea that, look man, I’m not the guy to fix the Tour Championship. He was asked about the golf ball rollback in the interview today and he was very clear. No, not me man.
“That’s not a question for me. There’s plenty of other people in this room that could answer it right now. So I appreciate he knows what he doesn’t know.”
What Rory McIlroy said about Brian Rolapp after their meeting
It is particularly encouraging that Rolapp has not only spoken with the biggest stars. Ultimately, the PGA Tour needs to be thriving at all levels if it is going to become the only place for the world’s best players to play.
But, as Hoggard notes, one of those conversations did take place with McIlroy. And in his press conference ahead of the season finale, McIlroy heaped praise on Rolapp.
“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,“ he said.
Whether Jay Monahan did a good job as commissioner is up for debate. It definitely does appear that he is a divisive character and will leave a complicated legacy.
However, the PGA Tour needed a fresh start after a turbulent few years. And Rolapp’s appointment appears to have given many involved with the tour a big boost.
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