In mid-2025, PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan said that he had informed the boards of the TOUR that he would step down at the end of 2026, which would be the end of his current contract. However, with that information, it was up to the PGA TOUR Policy Board to start a search committee to find a successor.
The committee consisted of Arthur M. Blank, Tiger Woods, Adam Scott, Jay Monahan, Joe Gorder and Sam Kennedy.
Blank was a co-founder of Home Depot. One of his subsidiary companies owns PGA TOUR Superstores. Blank’s holdings also include the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United Soccer Club, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Atlanta Drive Golf Club under the umbrella of AMB Sport & Entertainment.
Gorder is chairman of the board of Valero and chairman of PGA TOUR Enterprises.
Kennedy is president and CEO of the Boston Red Sox. And no, he is not related to the political Kennedy family.
Tiger Woods and Adam Scott are highly respected members of the PGA TOUR and have business interests separate from their golf careers.
The committee, after reviewing candidates, all agreed: Brian Rolapp was going to be asked to be the PGA TOUR’s first CEO. To say that they expected he would be very good for the PGA TOUR is probably an understatement, based on his background.
“I’m honored to join the PGA TOUR at such a pivotal time,” Rolapp said after the process was complete. “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.”
When people say that Rolapp is perfect for the position, it’s true. He’s been a sports executive with the NFL, and he has 20 years of experience with that organization. While there, Rolapp was in charge of the league’s commercial businesses, including broadcast and digital rights, NFL Network, NFL Films, sponsorships, consumer products and the league’s private investment entity. That makes him an ideal fit for the current activities and future direction of the PGA TOUR.
“Brian is the perfect choice for the next chapter of the PGA TOUR,” Monahan added. “His arrival strengthens our leadership team and reflects our shared commitment to the TOUR’s continued evolution.”
“This appointment reflects the unity and strategic alignment across our governance structure — from our player directors and independent board members to our investors in the Strategic Sports Group and the commissioner,” said Gorder. “I am grateful to Jay (Monahan) for his commitment to the future of the TOUR and his focus on a smooth and successful transition.”
Why would someone with a high-powered position in the NFL leave that organization? Often executives may love the organizations where they work, and they may love everything about the role they have. But perhaps Rolapp looked at the future and saw that he could be a CEO at the PGA TOUR while the top position was already taken at the NFL and would be occupied for quite some time.
Roger Godell, NFL commissioner, is 66. He seems a young and vibrant 66, seems to be in good health, seems to have a lot of energy, and it looks like he’s probably not going to leave the NFL for a while. He’s just starting to expand the NFL to international locations.
So, perhaps Rolapp wanted to be in a CEO role without having to wait for Godell to retire, with no guarantee that he’d be chosen. Godell, so long as his health is good, could easily be there for another five to 10 years. The PGA TOUR CEO position is a new one, and Rolapp can create what he wants, within reason.
“When you're in the seat I've been in for a while, you get to look at a lot of different opportunities, and they don’t come up — unique ones don’t come up very often. This one did, and it was a chance to really do something different and help grow a game and a sport that I love,” he said.
What the PGA TOUR already has that may interest Rolapp are the international aspects of its tournament business and the international television coverage for PGA TOUR events. The international part of the NFL is in its beginning stages, whereas, the PGA TOUR already reaches more than 200 countries in broadcasts and has done so for many years. It has business relationships with what was the European Tour and is now the DP World Tour, and together, they are the two strongest golf tours on the planet.
Monahan believes Rolapp is going to be very good for the PGA TOUR.
“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,” Monahan said.
It’s clear that Rolapp brings a huge amount of prestige, personally, and an understanding of how the most successful sports organization ever operates. Every sport would like to be the NFL in some aspects. The combination of Rolapp’s experience and the PGA TOUR’s reach may allow golf to achieve new heights.
