Latest news with #BrianRolapp
The Irish Sun
a day ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler back PGA Tour's bold NFL-style shake-up with Brian Rolapp set to take over
Incoming PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp has received an early vote of confidence from top players Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler. The news of the appointment came ahead of this week's Travelers Championship at 2 Brian Rolapp is set to take the reigns as PGA Tour CEO by the end of the year 2 And he's been backed by the word''s number one and two pleyers - Scottie and Rory Rolapp, who brings over 20 years of experience from He will officially take over from current commissioner Jay Monahan in 2026. Monahan, who has held the role for a decade, is expected to assist with a smooth transition. And read more on golf The Grand Slam champion said: 'He's certainly said all the right things and he has an amazing background with two decades in the NFL. 'He's helped them expand internationally and help them become the behemoth they have become. 'For him to bring that experience, I think it will be amazing and it's great that Jay is there to help with the smooth transition.' Rolapp addressed the Most read in Golf The 2025 PGA champion said: 'I think it's exciting to have some new leadership. The first time I heard him speak was yesterday, so I really don't know much about him. 'I liked what I heard yesterday. Our board and Jay have put a lot of research into finding his successor and to get someone from high up in the NFL is pretty cool. Eagle-eyed fans spot Rory McIlroy's 'unrepeatable' magic trick in furious fit of rage at US Open 'He has a lot of experience and some new thought processes he can bring to the tour. I think it's exciting." Rolapp's focus is expected to centre on strengthening the Tour's commercial model and global reach at a time of unprecedented change within professional golf amid the ongoing LIV Golf divide.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
With PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stepping down, what is his legacy?
With PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan stepping down, what is his legacy? Hiring of Brian Rolapp, the NFL's Chief Media and Business Officer, announced on June 17 Show Caption Hide Caption New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp talks LIV Golf Brian Rolapp discussed LIV Golf is his opening press conference PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan will step down at the end of 2026. Former NFL executive Brian Rolapp has been named the PGA Tour's new CEO, starting June 17. Monahan will transition his responsibilities to Rolapp and remain on the PGA Tour Policy Board. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will leave his position by the end of 2026 with the hiring of former NFL executive Brian Rolapp in a new position as the Tour's chief executive officer on June 17. Monahan, who became the Tour's fourth commissioner in 2017, will "transition his day-to-day responsibilities" to Rolapp, according to a PGA Tour news release, and will concentrate on his role as a member of the PGA Tour Policy Board and on the board of PGA Tour Enterprises, the for-profit arm of the Tour. Monahan said he informed the Policy Board last year that he would step down as commissioner after he completed 10 years on the job. Who is Brian Rolapp? 5 things to know about the PGA Tour's new CEO 'A year ago, I informed our Boards that upon completing a decade as commissioner, I would step down from my role at the end of 2026,' Monahan said in a statement. 'Since then, we've worked together to identify a leader who can build on our momentum and develop a process that ensures a smooth transition. We've found exactly the right leader in Brian Rolapp, and I'm excited to support him as he transitions from the NFL into his new role leading the PGA Tour.' Brian Rolapp: 'Excited about future of golf' Rolapp, 53, was the unanimous choice by a search committee that included Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur M. Blank, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott and Monahan. He said in a news conference at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., on June 17, the site of this week's Travelers, that he plans on having conversations with as many players as he can. "I'm excited to grow the PGA Tour ... I'm excited about the future of golf," he said. "I'm going to talk with as many [players] as I can in a short amount of time ... I'm going to hear what they have to say." The PGA Tour management team will report to Rolapp upon his start date, and he will report to both boards of directors. "I've had the privilege of working at the NFL for 20 years, which I've loved," Rolapp said. "This opportunity stood out. It stood out because I think the game of golf is a global game. It is a game that has a tremendous amount of growth. I think the level of competition and tradition is unparalleled in a lot of ways." Jay Monahan guided Tour through COVID, LIV Golf breakaway Monahan first came to the Tour in 2008 as the executive director of The Players Championship. He was promoted to Tour's senior vice president for business development in 2010, to executive vice president and chief marketing officer in 2013, and then to deputy commissioner in 2015. Three years after he was in office, sports in America came to a standstill with the COVID-19 pandemic in March of 2020. The Players Championship was canceled after only one round but Monahan and his management team formulated a plan to return. The PGA Tour was the first major sport to resume competition in June 2020. Two years later, Monahan was faced with another crisis, the creation of LIV Golf and the defection of some of the Tour's biggest stars at the time. Monahan immediately suspended every player who became a member of LIV Golf, and those players remain under suspension. In June of 2023, Monahan stepped away from his duties for an undisclosed "medical situation," as the Tour described it, but returned later that summer. Since then he has created the lucrative PGA Tour "Signature Event" series, with higher purses, FedEx Cup Fall, a series of event events designed for players who did not make the FedEx Cup playoffs to regain their playing status and formed an alliance with the Strategic Sports Group, a collection of pro team sports owners who will invest up to $3 million in PGA Tour Enterprises. What does Brian Rolapp's hiring mean for the Tour vs. LIV battle? There was no indication whether Rolapp's hiring would be a prelude to fast-tracking a merger or other alliance with the LIV Golf Tour, which formed in 2022 in competition with the PGA Tour and lured stars such as Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith. Monahan and Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, who has bankrolled LIV Golf, announced a framework agreement on June 6, 2023. Still, little progress has been made toward an actual resolution to the split in professional golf. Monahan has had three meetings with President Donald Trump, who said during his campaign last year that he could help broker a deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Rolapp said during his news conference that he is coming in "with a pretty clean sheet of paper," about the Tour vs. LIV issue. "I also come in knowing that there's a lot to learn," he said. "Everything that works in the football world may not work in the golf world. When it comes to that situation particularly, I think the fans have been pretty clear. They want to see the best golfers compete against each other. I agree with that. I think that's a complex situation that's probably something I should learn more about before I speak." Who is Brian Rolapp? Rolapp, a native of Maryland who worked a part-time job at the Congressional Country Club in high school, is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Harvard Business School. He joined the NFL in 2003 and became the COO of NFL Media and later CEO of NFL Network. He forged partnerships with brands such as Apple, X, Nike and Fanatics. He was named to the Sports Business Journal's Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame. As the NFL's Chief Media and Business Officer, Rolapp oversaw the league's commercial businesses, including broadcast and digital rights, NFL Network, NFL Films, sponsorships, consumer products and the league's private investment entity, 32 Equity. He and his wife Cindy have four children.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Rolapp appointment 'really positive'
Rory McIlroy believes the experience new PGA Tour chief executive Brian Rolapp will bring to the role will be "amazing".Rolapp will be the tour's first CEO and will gradually take over the day-to-day running from commissioner Jay Monahan, who will step down after 10 years in the role in has more than 20 years of experience with the National Football League (NFL) and helped with the global expansion of American Football as chief media and business said he as yet to meet Rolapp but said his appointment was a "really positive thing" for the PGA Tour."He's certainly said all the right things and he has an amazing background with two decades in the NFL," McIlroy said on Wednesday. "He's helped them expand internationally and help them become the behemoth they have become."For him to bring that experience, I think it will be amazing and it's great that Jay is there to help with the smooth transition too."Rolapp met with the PGA Tour's membership ahead of the Travelers Championship, which takes place in Connecticut from Thursday, and world number one Scottie Scheffler said he "liked what I got to hear"."I think it's exciting to have some new leadership. The first time I heard him speak was yesterday, so I really don't know much about him," said three-time major winner Scheffler. "I liked what I heard yesterday. Our board and Jay have put a lot of research into finding his successor and to get someone from high up in the NFL is pretty cool."He has a lot of experience and some new thought processes he can bring to the tour. I think it's exciting." 'Perfect chaser from Oakmont' Northern Ireland's McIlroy will return to the Travelers Championship after skipping the 2024 event to "lick my wounds" after just missing out on the US Open at arrives in Connecticut off the back off a difficult week at this year's major at Oakmont, where he was visibly frustrated by his game as he narrowly made the cut and told reporters he had earned the right "to do what I want" after skipping media the tournament he admitted he had climbed his "Everest" by completing a career Grand Slam by winning the Masters in April and he was looking forward to scaling "another mountain"."The weeks after major championships, sometimes when you're in contention and trying to win them it can feel quite difficult to go and play the next week," the 36-year-old said."But after a week like I had at Oakmont, where you aren't quite in the mix but you think you might have found something in your game, you are excited to play again. "This is the perfect chaser from last week and it's nice to get out on a golf course where you feel like you can make quite a few brides." When asked if one particular shot at the US Open had made him feel more positive about his game, McIlroy said consistency was key and pointed to the fact he made the most shots off the tee in the field at Oakmont."f I can see something, or have a feeling, that is very repeatable - on the range is one thing but on the course is another - the proof is in the pudding," he added."Last week I felt I found a feeling, especially off the tee that was repeatable and working well. "I led strokes off the tee last week which was a big thing for me. I thought I drove the ball well all week."
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Former NFL executive Brian Rolapp appointed PGA Tour CEO
– Former National Football League (NFL) executive vice-president Brian Rolapp said he is 'ready to get to work' after being named the CEO of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises on June 17. The 53-year-old spent 22 years with the NFL. He will take over the day-to-day operations of the PGA Tour later this summer in place of current commissioner Jay Monahan, who will step down at the end of his contract in 2026. Per the PGA Tour, Monahan will focus on his role as a member of the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Enterprises boards during the remainder of his tenure. The 55-year-old took over as commissioner in 2017. 'A year ago, I informed our boards that upon completing a decade as commissioner, I would step down from my role at the end of 2026,' he said in a statement. 'Since then, we've worked together to identify a leader who can build on our momentum and develop a process that ensures a smooth transition. We've found exactly the right leader in Brian Rolapp, and I'm excited to support him as he transitions from the NFL into his new role leading the PGA Tour.' The search committee for the new CEO included Monahan, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott – both player directors on the policy board – and Arthur Blank, owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and chair of PGA Tour Enterprises' management, development and compensation committee. Rolapp stands as a natural fit, having been the NFL's lead media and business officer during a period of exponential growth by the league. He is considered a potential successor for commissioner Roger Goodell, and a new role as a CEO at a different pro sports endeavour likely will not change that. Rolapp joined the NFL in 2003 and had been in his most recent role overseeing advertising, sponsorships and media contracts since 2017. Before then, he was the NFL chief operating officer and senior vice-president of media strategy and digital media. He also was the CEO of NFL Network and executive vice-president of NFL Media. 'I'm honoured to join the PGA Tour at such a pivotal time,' he said in a statement. 'The PGA Tour represents the highest level of competition, integrity and global opportunity in the game of golf, and 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.' Woods applauded Rolapp's arrival to the PGA Tour. 'Brian's appointment is a win for players and fans,' he said. 'He has a clear respect for the game and our players and brings a fresh perspective from his experience in the NFL. I'm excited about what's ahead – and confident that with Brian's leadership, we'll continue to grow the tour in ways that benefit everyone who loves this sport.' REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
New PGA Tour CEO Sounds Off on LIV Golf Negotiations
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The PGA Tour just made a move that sent shockwaves through the golf world. With LIV Golf merger talks in limbo and relationships fractured over the PIF investment, the Tour could have played it safe. Instead, it took a bold step, bringing in Brian Rolapp, a strategic mind with a proven track record of 22 years. The decision was announced during the U.S. Open Championship that saw J.J. Spaun's emotional victory. While Spaun lifted the trophy at Oakmont, another major shift in golf was brewing behind the scenes. New PGA Tour CEO comes clean on LIV Golf negotiations Rolapp didn't just walk away from any job—he left behind a 22-year legacy at the NFL, where he played a pivotal role in shaping football's financial empire. His expertise in media rights, sponsorship deals, and league expansion set the foundation for the NFL's record-breaking $110 billion TV contracts, securing partnerships with Amazon, CBS, ESPN/ABC, FOX, NBC, Netflix, and YouTube. Now, the PGA Tour wants that firepower to navigate golf's most complex business dilemma—the paused LIV Golf merger. Brian Rolapp, chief operating officer of NFL Media, speaks at the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York November 30, 2011. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Brian Rolapp, chief operating officer of NFL Media, speaks at the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York November 30, 2011. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo Getty Images At the Travelers Championship press conference, Rolapp addressed the ongoing merger uncertainty, choosing his words carefully: "When it comes to that situation particularly, I think the fans have been pretty clear. They want to see the best golfers competing against each other. I think everybody as a golf fan. I agree with that." With merger talks appearing close to finalisation earlier this year—right before the Masters—the expectation was that golf's divide would soon be mended. Yet, despite high level discussions, including White House involvement, everything collapsed, leaving the 2-year-old merger in uncertainty. Rolapp, however, seems determined to reignite talks and find a path forward. "When it comes to the situation with LIV, I think that's a complex situation that's probably something I should learn more about before I speak," he admitted. "But I will say my focus is on growing the TOUR, making it better, and really moving on from the position of strength that it has." Interestingly, Rolapp has past ties to LIV Golf's CEO, Scott O'Neil. Per the two studied together at Harvard Business School, meaning the business mindset and past relationship between the two leaders could play a major role in reshaping negotiations. DORAL, FLORIDA - APRIL 03: Scott O'Neil, LIV Golf CEO, looks on during previews for LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on April 03, 2025 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by)... DORAL, FLORIDA - APRIL 03: Scott O'Neil, LIV Golf CEO, looks on during previews for LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral Miami on April 03, 2025 in Doral, Florida. (Photo by) More Getty Images With both leaders now in place, it's expected that conversations will intensify, giving renewed hope to a deal that once looked impossible. Rolapp's track record suggests aggressive growth strategies. Under his NFL leadership, the league secured over $10 billion per season in media rights, revamped global sponsorship models, and launched NFL+—a direct-to-consumer streaming service. His business success story makes him uniquely suited to strengthen the PGA Tour. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below! More Golf: Rory McIlroy Drops Ryder Cup Message after U.S. Open Flop
