PGA Tour names Brian Rolapp CEO with Jay Monahan set to step down at end of 2026

CROMWELL, Conn. — As rain pelted down on a tent outside the TPC River Highlands clubhouse, Brian Rolapp addressed the media for the first time as the man tasked with leading the PGA Tour into a brighter future. Mother Nature wasn’t cooperating, causing a planned photo shoot on the first tee to be moved under cover, but that didn’t dampen Rolapp’s enthusiasm after being officially announced on Tuesday as the tour’s new CEO.

“I’m very excited for this opportunity,” Rolapp said. “I’m very honored and humbled by this opportunity. I’m excited to grow the PGA Tour. I’m excited about the future of golf.”

Rolapp, 52, joins the tour after spending more than two decades with the NFL, serving most recently as the league’s Chief Media and Business Officer. Before that, the graduate of BYU and Harvard Business School served as director of business development for NBC Universal.

“I’m honored to step into the role of CEO of the PGA Tour,” Rolapp wrote in an open letter Tuesday morning. “Golf has one of the deepest histories and many of the most timeless traditions in all of sports. That history and those traditions have inspired generations of players and fans, creating both a game and a tour that millions around the world love. At the same time, professional golf is evolving, as are the ways fans consume sports. My goal as CEO is to honor golf’s traditions but not be overly bound by them.”

With Rolapp’s hiring, the tour also announced that Commissioner Jay Monahan will transition his day-to-day responsibilities to Rolapp, stepping down from the commissioner role when his contract runs out at the end of 2026. It was Monahan who announced the creation of the new CEO position back in December.

“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. “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.”

Rolapp had been thought by many to be the frontrunner as Roger Goodell’s eventual replacement as NFL commissioner. But he couldn’t turn down what he called a “unique” opportunity. And he plans to use some of the same strategies put in place by the world’s most successful sports league.

“I think there’s three things, as I’ve mentioned before, that we can take from the NFL that I think applies to golf,” Rolapp said. “One is you sort of relentlessly focus on the game, getting the competition right, getting the highest level of competition is extremely important. That’s something we obsessed about. I think, second, finding the right partners. That’s not only sponsors, but media partners who could help grow the game, distribute the game, reach as many fans as possible. That’s something we’ll look at. And I think third is a constant mindset of innovation. You have to change. I think I said it in my fan letter, we’re going to honor tradition, but we’re not going to be unnecessarily bound by it, and where it makes sense to change, we’re going to do that. I think that’s something to take from my previous experience that I’m excited to apply here.”

Rolapp didn’t have much to say about the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and the Saudi PIF other than mentioning he comes to the table with a “clean sheet.” He acknowledged the Strategic Sports Group’s $1.5 billion investment in the tour played a role in him taking the job. And he emphasized the tour will look to innovate and build on the signature events like this week’s Travelers Championship.

“I think when you look at golf specifically, it is truly a global sport,” Rolapp said. “I think the participation in the game has increased. It’s been increasing since COVID significantly. People love the sport, and they play the sport. That’s unique. I think that translates to all sorts of opportunity in the long-term. You look at the strength and the television ratings that I see, that people love the PGA Tour, they love the competition, especially when the best players are in the field. I think those are all strengths to build on.”

Rolapp was the unanimous selection of a PGA Tour CEO Search Committee formed in December and consisting of Arthur M. Blank, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Monahan, Joe Gorder and Sam Kennedy. His experience at the NFL helping reshape how fans experience live sports was seen as one of his greatest strengths in coming over to the PGA Tour.

As CEO, Rolapp is expected to lead the PGA Tour into its next phase of growth and innovation, serving as the CEO of PGA Tour, Inc. and PGA Tour Enterprises, the new for-profit arm of the tour formed in 2024. The PGA Tour management team will report to Rolapp upon his start date later this summer, and he will report to both Boards of Directors.

“Having worked with Brian during our time in the NFL, I’ve seen firsthand his ability to lead with vision and collaboration, and to deliver results,” said Blank, the head of the search committee as well as the owner of the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. “He understands what it takes to elevate a global sports brand—and I’m confident he’ll bring that same energy and excellence to the PGA Tour.”

Even Lucas Glover, the 2009 U.S. Open champ who at times has been very vocal in his criticism of the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council in recent years, was very pleased with Rolapp’s selection. He told Golf Channel that it was a “monumental day” for the tour and described Rolapp as a “go-getter” and “very impressive.”

When news of Rolapp’s hiring first leaked last week, there were some who questioned why someone taking such an important role in golf wouldn’t have a USGA handicap. But Rolapp was happy to provide details of his golf background when asked on Tuesday, including that his first job in high school was at Congressional Country Club.

“That’s where I got gas money. So that’s how I was actually introduced to the game, on employee day actually learning to play golf,” Rolapp said. “In high school I skipped quite a bit of classes in college playing, and then career and family started, and I took a long time off from the game because my career, my family got in the way in a bit, but I’ve taken it up in recent years ago.”

Rolapp estimates he plays about five to 10 times per year—“Not as much as I would like to”—enjoying quality time on the course with his kids.

As for that handicap?

“I’m not going to tell you,” he said with a laugh. “It’s going to be classified. There’s a reason I didn’t put it in.”