Rory McIlroy just drew a line in the sand. Golf doesn’t need to become the NFL, he declared—even as the PGA Tour hired an NFL executive to revolutionize the sport. Now, Brian Rolapp faces an impossible task. He must grow professional golf while preserving everything that makes it different. Meanwhile, one prominent analyst believes the blueprint already exists—but warns that chasing NFL-style growth could destroy golf’s soul.

On the latest episode of the No Laying Up podcast, hosts Randy and Soly dissected McIlroy’s recent press conference comments about golf’s future. The conversation quickly shifted from philosophical to practical. Soly, acknowledging his limitations on business strategy, focused instead on what matters most: Making the product compelling for fans. However, his vision for growth sharply contrasts with what Rolapp might bring from his NFL playbook.

Randy referenced McIlroy’s recent press conference, covered by James Colgan on Golf.com, noting the timing came after a contentious Ryder Cup that prominently featured the Northern Irishman.

McIlroy had been discussing what professional golf should become, particularly through the lens of Brian Rolapp’s arrival from the National Football League. Whose introductory press conference signaled that “some real significant change is coming to the Tour.”

McIlroy’s stance was unequivocal: “I say it in America all the time: golf doesn’t need to be the NFL. It doesn’t need to be these other sports. Golf is golf, and that’s fine.” Yet he acknowledged room for expansion.

“I think there has to be a balance. I certainly think that golf can grow, but it can grow in a way where the people that are coming into the game still respect and acknowledge that this is a little bit different than other sports.”

Randy then posed the central question to his co-host.

“How do you see the growth potential of pro golf? Is there a way to make professional golf, at least here in America, a lot bigger while still keeping those unique traditional characteristics—fans being quiet, polite, not cheering against guys? Can those two ideas coexist?”

Soly began with cautious optimism. “I think they can. This kind of ventures into an area where I feel pretty unqualified—there’s a lot I talk about that I’m unqualified to speak on—but this especially, about how to actually build it, how to make it work, even where the PGA Tour is going.”

He referenced Gary McCord’s recent interview about transforming tournaments into individual franchises, admitting, “Without having the time to sit down and think about it deeply, I can’t fully explain what he’s saying, but it makes sense to me in a general way.”

And rather than diving into complex business structures, Soly redirected to his expertise. “The future of golf has so many complications now—nonprofit versus for-profit status, new ownership structures, all that. So I usually try to tackle the problem just from the fan standpoint: how do you make the product interesting to watch? That’s always been the core question for me.”

His first prescription was radical.

“To start with, you’ve got to blow up the current media deal—get rid of the commercialization structure around events. You can’t have it looking like the Ryder Cup looked. I know that’s a PGA of America event, but just how Bay Hill tends to look the next week by comparison—it’s night and day. Golf needs to look a lot more like The Players Championship.”

Soly explained The Players’ appeal further. “People rate The Players better on television. It has a much better brand than a lot of other events. It’s not a major, but it has some real panache in the golf world. It reaches casual fans. I’d compare it to Formula 1—people might not watch every race, but they know Monaco. Ironically, Monaco’s the most boring race to watch, but people still tune in for it.”

This led to his vision for elevation.

“So how can you elevate certain events to that level? That’s where I think the Tour is on the right path. That’s why I’ve been such a fan of the signature event model. There’s still a lot of watering down, though—like when you flip on a Sunday broadcast, you shouldn’t have to ask, ‘Is this a signature event or not? What does that even mean?'”

He distilled the challenge simply. “People just like to flip on golf and watch it. That’s the core of it. The challenge is how to make people more engaged in the championship itself. That’s what’s ahead for the Tour—aside from the business side, the money, the franchise talk, and all that, which I don’t think most fans really care about. It all comes down to what the product ends up looking like.”

And Soly saw reasons for optimism. “I think there’s still growth potential in pro golf. There are people—myself included—who tune in to watch idiots like you and me play golf on YouTube. Clearly, the appetite is there. More and more people are playing the game. Golf is still hot in these streets, Randy.”

Yet he concluded with measured uncertainty about Rolapp’s direction. “I wish I could give a step-by-step on exactly how to do it, but I trust Rolapp and his vision. He’s come in saying he’s looking to make significant change, and we all cheered that. Some of his quotes made me go, ‘All right, man, I don’t know about all this. I’m not positive we’re going to love it all by the end, but I know we needed to move on from how it’s currently set up.'”

The conversation ultimately reveals golf’s crossroads moment. McIlroy wants growth without compromise. Soly believes it’s possible but demands better presentation over business gimmicks. Brian Rolapp arrives with a mandate for change—yet nobody knows if his NFL playbook will enhance or erode what makes golf special.

But one thing remains clear: The sport can no longer maintain its current trajectory. Whether Rolapp heeds voices like McIlroy’s and focuses on elevating the product, or pursues aggressive commercialization, will determine if golf grows authentically or loses its identity chasing mainstream appeal.

Field size vs. flow: The pace of play justification critics call “pathetic” as Brian Rolapp inherits rebellion

The PGA Tour wrapped its controversial field-size reduction in noble intentions—faster rounds, better scheduling, and improved fan experience. But beneath that polish, players are fuming.

Six-time Tour winner Lucas Glover called the move “terrible,” accusing officials of “hiding behind pace of play” and saying they “think we’re stupid.” And U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick was blunter, calling the justification “pathetic.” As new executive Brian Rolapp steps in promising efficiency, he inherits a Tour where critics believe the real problem—slow play—remains ignored.

Approved in November 2024, the changes were sweeping. Most single-course events will shrink from 156 to 144 players, some dropping to 120 or 132 depending on daylight. The Players Championship—the Tour’s flagship event—will cut to 120. Officials framed it as “essential mathematics.”

Gary Young, the Tour’s senior vice president of rules and competition, told Golfweek the smaller fields would “absolutely improve pace of play.” He argued that large fields caused groups to “turn and wait at the turn.” The Player Advisory Council added that 28% of 2024 tournaments had at least one round unfinished due to darkness.

But players aren’t convinced.

Glover, ranked 50th globally, said the number of slow players has grown from “a handful to 50.” And he believes enforcing existing rules would fix the issue. “Eliminate warnings, put players on the clock, and add penalties. Guess who’s running to their ball then,” he explained the probable scenario.

Current Tour rules only penalize players after a second bad time, following an initial warning. Young admitted golfers would “have to be somewhat crazy or not paying attention” to reach that stage. A loophole critics say protects repeat offenders.

Fitzpatrick echoed that frustration online, writing it’s “pathetic that pace of play is spoken about every year and nothing gets done.” His caddie, Billy Foster, even called out Tom Kim and Brian Harman, mocking Harman’s “12 wiggles” before each shot.

Glover went further, hinting that the Tour’s true motive is retention, not reform. “They’re appeasing six guys so they don’t go somewhere else and play golf.” Many saw that as a dig at efforts to keep stars like Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, and Patrick Cantlay loyal amid LIV Golf’s pull.

This frustration isn’t limited to men’s golf.

After a five-hour, 38-minute round at The Annika, LPGA star Charley Hull proposed, “Three bad timings mean a two-shot penalty each. Do it thrice, you lose your card.” World No. 1 Nelly Korda agreed, saying slow play “drags the game down” and players “stand over putts for two to three minutes.”

The clash defines the challenge facing Brian Rolapp. Can he fix golf’s pace without punishing opportunity? Glover insists “limiting access is not a way to grow talent,” noting “every other sport has widened fields.” Players argue fewer slow players—not fewer total players—equals faster rounds. The Tour’s response, they say, avoids confronting stars and consolidates power among elites.