Jay Monahan is on his way out, and there is a new man on the helm! Brian Rolapp has finally taken the seat as the CEO of the PGA Tour. He comes with ample experience after helping the NFL Network become one of the best. Bringing Rolapp into the mix, especially when merger talk is stalled, and the SSG Investment remaining unutilized, comes with a risk. Which is that he might not be as familiar with golf. That’s what Eamon Lynch’s concerns were as he discussed Brian’s arrival.

In an episode of Golf Today, Lynch joined Damon Hack to discuss Brian Rolapp’s arrival. That’s when Lynch mentioned, “It’s going to be interesting to see what Rolapp’s priorities are. I think he has to start with building relationships. He’s not of the golf industry. He doesn’t really know anyone in the golf industry. So he has got to start building those relationships with stakeholders.” Lynch couldn’t be more right.

Being an outsider, Rolapp will need time to network with everyone in golf. The only connection he has is outside the PGA Tour, with LIV Golf’s new CEO, Scott O’Neil. The two leaders of their respective Tours studied at Harvard together. Lynch advised Rolapp to go meet Jack Nicklaus, the FedEx Cup leaders, other executives, and everyone else who moves the needle. He also suggested that the new CEO should meet the players and the fans and try to get a better grasp of the situation at the base level.

Another factor that the expert brought up is, “I also think he has to prioritize spending the SSG money, the private investor money that was committed to the Tour a year and a half ago. That’s $1.5 billion that has not yet been spent. He has to develop a plan and execute.” Back in January 2024, the Strategic Sports Group invested a whopping $1.5 billion into the PGA Tour Enterprises with a focus on strategic growth. So far, Jay Monahan hasn’t used a penny from it. With Rolapp’s business expertise, he is in a great position to utilize the funds to push the PGA Tour ahead and plan optimum growth.

“In the international aspect, he does need to consolidate a deal with the DP World Tour and figure out how that is leveraged into an international schedule,” said Lynch to Damon Hack. Lynch has been quite vocal about the PGA Tour and DP World Tour’s extended collaboration for quite some time now. He has been pushing the narrative of allowing American talent to explore an international schedule and face different challenges as opposed to restricting them within the borders of the United States.

To end the segment, Lynch stated, “The trickiest thing (for Rolapp) is to fix the balance of power on the PGA Tour, right now. Because Jay Monahan has spent his authority with the players, with the signing of the framework agreement. It cost him a lot of trust with the players; it cost him a lot of authority. Brian Rolapp comes in with a lot of authority. What he’s going to face is players who think they are executives and investors who think they are day-to-day managers. And the Tour is going to suffer from both of those. Brian Rolapp has to reassert executive function at the PGA Tour. That he’s there to make the decisions. He’s there to run the business on a day-to-day basis.”

Monahan involving the players and the investors in the decision-making played a huge role in the dysfunctionality of the PGA Tour. For years, there was unrest in the ranks with the power dynamics shifting after every passing day. Jay’s inability to control the situation cost the PGA Tour, and Brian Rolapp may pay the price for it. However, the new CEO knows how to play the leadership role efficiently, as seen in his previous outing with the NFL.

He will need to take back control and be the decision maker of the PGA Tour before guiding it to success. That alone will take a lot of effort and time. Undoing the damage might also cost Rolapp some relationships, but if he can get through the bad phase, then his professional history suggests that he will come out on top in the end. But there are a few high-priority issues that he might have to deal with before he gets to fixing the PGA Tour completely.

What could be Brian Rolapp’s first challenge as the new CEO

The biggest and most criticized issue the PGA Tour has been facing over the last few years has been the pace of play. Jay Monahan & Co. have been constantly criticized for not being able to deal with the problem correctly. The outgoing commissioner’s solutions to reduce the field size and limit opportunities from 2026 have only received further backlash. Lucas Glover, Matt Fitzpatrick, & Co. have also spoken against Monahan’s proposal, calling it a ‘terrible’ idea.

Brian Rolapp will have to correct these errors once he gets a grasp of the situation. Whether he goes ahead with the commissioner’s plan or not is a different question. But the newly hired CEO will need to find a way to neutralize the slow-play issue. As many experts, players, and fans have advised, stroke penalties and other strict punishments would push the players to abide by the rules. If Rolapp could come up with something better and more effective, then that’s even better.