The PGA Tour recently handed its reins to an ex-NFL Chief Media and Business Officer with over 20 years of experience, and he’s already shaking things up.
Brian Rolapp, currently in a transitional period, was officially announced as the new PGA Tour CEO just 25 days ago. On Friday, during his interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, he laid out his early priorities.
“When you work in the sports business, it’s not that complicated,” he said. “You need to think like a fan. And I think the fans have spoken, they want to see the best golfers play more often. That should be a goal for the sport in general.”
The Harvard Business School graduate acknowledged the complexities of a potential deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, calling it “a blank sheet of paper” and “a situation involving no less than two sovereign nations.”
But he was clear about his focus, stating, “The opportunity for the growth of the PGA Tour… and the innovation we can bring, that’s going to be my primary focus”.
Rolapp’s later expressed more about his digital and tech mindset. “We need to go where the fans are,” he said.
“And increasingly, the fans are spending their time in digital. A big priority is to increase our digital footprint in all sorts of ways that could include the tour events themselves”
The new boss further highlighted an ‘underrepresented’ concern in the PGA Tour:
“But it also include everything in between the tour events, and tell the stories of these golfers and tell the stories of the sport, which I think is underrepresented in media.”
LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil echoed similar sentiments
Scott O’Neil, who is reported to have an old relationship with Rolapp from their Harvard graduation days, echoed similar sentiments on the Rick Shiels Golf Show.
“We’re (Rolapp & Neil) friends,” the LIV Golf CEO said. “He’s someone I know really well and have a lot of respect for.”
O’Neil added that Rolapp’s arrival could “facilitate [unification] at a faster pace,” especially with LIV’s emphasis on team formats and global reach.
Interestingly, even when the new PGA Tour CEO was asked whether he wants to see the sport evolve like LIV’s team-based model, Rolapp responded:
“I think the PGA Tour product is strong as it is. Viewership has grown significantly this year. On Sundays, we’re pulling 3 to 4 million viewers, that’s a large sports event.”
He emphasized that fans are “voting with their remotes and their mouses,” and that innovation will be welcomed, but not at the expense of tradition.
“We’re going to honor golf’s traditions, but we’re not going to be overly bound by them,” he continued. “Wherever there’s innovation, we’re going to look at it”.
Until now, the ex-NFL executive’s appointment has earned him praise from several pros, including Tiger Woods himself.
“Brian’s appointment is a win for players and fans,” Woods said after his official appointment. And the fans are excited to see what comes next.
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