It was nearly impossible not to be impressed by Brian Rolapp as he spoke to the media ahead of The Players Championship.
There was plenty of anticipation ahead of Brian Rolapp‘s press conference. Everyone is waiting to see how the overhauled PGA Tour schedule is going to look.
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Some feared that Rolapp would reveal little amid concern that it would overshadow The Players Championship. Those concerns were quickly put to bed.
It all started with Rolapp superbly handling some of the criticism the PGA Tour has received for seemingly pushing for The Players to be viewed as a major.
Brian Rolapp addresses the criticism the PGA Tour has received over The Players Championship
The tour sparked debate when they unveiled a trailer with the tagline: ‘March is going to be major’. Even previous winner Phil Mickelson could not bring himself to describe The Players as a major.
With the PGA Tour not owning any of the majors or the Ryder Cup, it appeared to be a desperate attempt to elevate their flagship event. But Rolapp displayed some humility in his opening address.
“We take a lot of pride in The Players, and with all the major talk, some may say even too much pride. Ultimately, that is not for us to decide,” he said.
“But what is clear is that fans, players and partners consider this to be one of the best tournaments in the world, and we are honoured to showcase it this week.”
What followed was a sublime 50-minute performance in which Rolapp demonstrated exactly why he was appointed as the tour’s CEO last summer.
Rolapp outlines how the PGA Tour could look in the coming years
There were exciting hints about the tour’s future. It seems that the very best players can expect to be presented with a schedule of between 21 and 26 events played between January and September.
Meanwhile, English football looks set to inspire a two-tier system, with players relegated from the highest level. That would also seemingly ensure that many of the events facing an uncertain future do remain on the schedule in some capacity.
International markets will be explored, while the likes of New York and Chicago could also host PGA Tour events in the not so distant future.
Obviously, many will be reserving judgement until plans are set in stone. However, it is hard to imagine that Rolapp would have made so many exciting claims if he did not believe that there is a good chance of delivering the large majority.
It does seem that Rolapp is giving nearly as much thought to the players fighting to keep their cards as those at the very top of the game.
He is also not shutting the door on those events that do so much for the local communities.
With many big decisions still to be taken, it is hard to know how Rolapp could have done a better job when speaking to the press on Wednesday.
The future seems to look extremely bright for the PGA Tour.
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