CEO Jay Monahan decided to resign from his CEO position when the PGA Tour was facing some turbulence due to the uncertainty of the merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour and the investment of $1.5 billion by the Strategic Sports Group. Monahan had some very rough years towards the end of his career as PGA Tour commissioner, facing multiple accusations for creating the Framework Agreement with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.

“I think he would absolutely be an asset to Brian as far as just navigating the you know discussions and understanding the maybe golf complexities that Brian might not have a super you know fine grasp.” said James Colgan, Editor of Golf.com, in the Smylie Show Podcast. Colgan referred to how Monahan could serve the purpose of transitioning the responsibilities of being a CEO in the PGA Tour to Brian Rolapp through his learning from an extensive 22-year-long career. As Rolapp, as the CEO, Colgan shared his excitement for the new CEO’s tenure, beginning, “I think pretty much from here on out I would be surprised if it was not Brian Rolapp’s show at the PGA Tour.” As Rolapp takes the position of CEO, will he just stay obedient to the Board or take immediate action?

In the Smylie Show, Podcast, Charlie Hulme asked Colgan when we can see Brian Rolapp completely taking over his new position as the PGA Tour CEO? To which Colgan replied, “The number two at the NFL is not leaving his job to become the number two at the PGA Tour like he is not coming here to play Kumbaya with Jay Monahan or anyone, and like frankly, nor should he. He is like in a position of strength.” He said this to inform that Brian Rolapp will establish his power at the PGA as soon as he learns the market environment in the golf world. Taking a leap of faith like Rolapp is a risky job, but he certainly joined the PGA with some new, innovative, and creative plans. He plans a future filled with the highest level of competition, more fans and player interactions, and attracting more media moguls. So, what made the PGA Tour pick Rolapp from among the top picks?

Rolapp is one of the few prodigies who get promoted six times within a 22-year-long career. Initially joined as the Director of Finance and Strategy in 2003, He rose up to the ranks of Chief Media and Business Officer by 2017. All this is possible through the significant contributions made by Rolapp to the NFL. Under his tenure, the NFL has secured media rights worth over  $110 billion, which now stands at $150 billion. This deal involves major media companies and Amazon. He, additionally, created a digital streaming platform, NFL+, for the sole purpose of live streaming the NFL events. However, he is thrilled for his new endeavour, “I believe deeply in the Tour’s mission and its potential to grow even stronger. I’m ready to get to work — alongside our players, partners and leadership team — to build lasting value and deliver an even more dynamic future for the sport and our fans.” said the new CEO at the announcement conference.

With Rolapp taking over as CEO, what challenges lie ahead for him?

Challenges to be addressed by Rolapp

When it comes to securing media rights, Rolapp is said to be a magician. Even though the viewership of the PGA Tour has been growing gradually, it largely remains stale compared to the golden era of golf in the 2000s. The 2001 Masters recorded a maximum viewership of 20 million, and the 2008 U.S Open saw an average viewership of 9.6 million viewers. Non-Major events had an average of 4-5 million years. But this largely depended on the star value of the legend, Tiger Woods. In the 2020s, the highest recorded viewership is 10.1 million viewers for the 2024 Masters final round. Non-major events have an average of 1-3million views.

The second obstacle in front of Rolapp is to either merge or ignore the LIV Golf league and leave them to fend for themselves. But if the PGA is really concerned about holding its players together under one umbrella, then the decision needs to be made soon. Either find a balance between both tours in a way that both can exist, or formulate a merger, taking into consideration the needs of both.

Finally, the challenge is to create an innovative schedule that allows the players to find a work-life balance and makes fans thrilled to watch the next tour event. Currently, many golfers, including the career grand slam winner Rory McIlroy, are troubled by the hectic and tight PGA Tour Schedule. McIlroy has not been given the time to recuperate after winning his most anticipated Career Grand Slam. All these hurdles lie ahead of the new CEO, Brian Rolapp. Will he be able to revolutionise the PGA Tour? Let us know your thoughts below.