CROMWELL, Conn. — In the hours after he was named the PGA Tour’s first CEO on Tuesday, Brian Rolapp walked around the driving range at TPC River Highlands. Dressed in a gray suit, the former NFL chief media and business officer introduced himself to as many players as he could, marking the start of a seismic shift in the PGA Tour’s leadership structure.
Though Rolapp hasn’t had the time to meet nearly everyone—including World Nos. 1 and 2 Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy—he will in the coming weeks as he begins to take over day-to-day duties from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan later this summer. In the early days, Rolapp has already received praise from several notable tour pros. Ahead of the opening round of the Travelers Championship on Thursday, Scheffler, McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Keegan Bradley all expressed excitement over his hire when speaking with the media. Among the things that’ve stood out to four of the tour’s brightest stars: Rolapp has an impressive background, and he’s said all the right things.
“I think he seems like a steal from the most successful sports organization in the world and someone who was on the path to becoming potentially commissioner over there, to coming over and taking the PGA Tour forward,” said Spieth, who met Rolapp on Tuesday.
Having spent the last 22 years with the NFL, Rolapp was seen by some as a potential successor to Roger Goodell whenever his tenure as commissioner ended. However, he said at his press conference on Tuesday that he couldn’t turn down the PGA Tour’s “unique” opportunity.
Despite Rolapp’s impressive background, he has limited golf experience; he said he plays around eight to 10 rounds a year and wouldn’t disclose his handicap. When Scheffler was asked whether tour membership is on board with bringing someone from outside of the golf world in, he didn’t express that it was a negative.
“I liked what I got to hear yesterday, so I would assume that's pretty much the opinion of most people in the room,” Scheffler said. “There definitely wasn't anybody grumbling or shouting or anything like that, so it seemed like all good news.”
Even without golf experience, Spieth mentioned Rolapp brings a wealth of experience to the Tour. And alongside it, the three-time major winner added Rolapp is “super open to learning more about golf and the PGA Tour’s business and the product itself from those that know more about it until he gets caught up.”
What Rolapp is fully caught up on has McIlory excited. The career Grand Slam winner noted Rolapp helped the NFL “expand internationally and basically become the behemoth that they have become.” This prompted McIlory to give Rolapp a huge vote of confidence, saying it’s amazing he’ll bring that experience to the PGA Tour. Rolapp’s signature achievement with the NFL is launching Thursday Night Football, which he championed from its 2006 launch.
Additionally, McIlory said it was great that Monahan will be there to help smooth out the transition period. Monahan is slated to remain in his role through the end of 2026 before stepping away and letting Rolapp run the show.
“I think it's a really positive thing for the tour,” McIlory said of Rolapp stepping in as CEO.
As the tour continues to strive in expanding its global outreach, Spieth noted that Rolapp resonated with players regarding challenging the television networks in how they show the product. Meanwhile, Spieth said Rolapp noted he was “open and willing to adapt and change while maintaining the integrity of the game.”
Bradley, the current U.S. Ryder Cup captain, also met Rolapp on Tuesday. Paired with highlighting his incredible résumé, Bradley said Rolapp “seems like a really smart guy.” And just a short time after he felt uncertain about the PGA Tour’s future, he expressed he had the utmost confidence going forward.
“I just think the PGA Tour is in such a great spot,” Bradley said. “A handful of years ago, when all this started, I didn't know what was going to happen. I was nervous. I didn't know how this was all going to end up, but now, years later, I'm really confident in where the PGA Tour is and where it's going. I'm proud to play on this Tour.
“It's never been better than it has been right now. That was a worry, and now I'm even more excited about the future. It's going to be great.”
As he continues acclimating to the role, it’ll take more than walking around and having brief conversations in a grey suit to grow the PGA Tour and keep its players happy. But with some of the tour’s most influential figures already speaking highly of him, Rolapp’s tenure is off to a hot start.