PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan will step down after 9 years within the function when his contract ends in 2026.
Brian Rolapp has been appointed because the tour’s first chief govt and can steadily take over Monahan’s day-to-day tasks.
Rolapp has spent greater than 20 years with the Nationwide Soccer League (NFL), most just lately as chief media and enterprise officer.
“A yr in the past, I knowledgeable our boards that upon finishing a decade as commissioner, I’d step down from my function on the finish of 2026,” Monahan stated.
“Since then, we have labored collectively to establish a pacesetter who can construct on our momentum and develop a course of that ensures a easy transition.
“We have discovered precisely the best chief in Brian Rolapp, and I am excited to help him as he transitions from the NFL into his new function main the PGA Tour.”
Monahan’s previous couple of years as commissioner have been dominated by the ructions in golf attributable to the rise of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf circuit.
The 55-year-old was a vocal critic of LIV, however then performed a key function within the negotiations that led to an settlement to type a partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund (PIF), which bankrolls LIV.
The secretive nature of the talks with LIV angered quite a few gamers.
Negotiations geared toward a closing settlement between the PGA Tour and LIV are ongoing, and Rolapp is hoping to unify the game.
“I feel the followers have been fairly clear,” Rolapp stated. “They wish to see one of the best golfers competing towards one another. I agree with that.
“With regards to the scenario with LIV, I feel that is a fancy scenario that is most likely one thing I ought to be taught extra about earlier than I converse.
“However I’ll say my focus is on rising the tour, making it higher, and actually shifting on from the place of energy that it has.”
Tiger Woods was a part of the PGA Tour CEO search committee which unanimously advisable Rolapp for the function.
“Brian’s appointment is a win for gamers and followers,” stated Woods. “He has a transparent respect for the sport and our gamers, and brings a contemporary perspective from his expertise within the NFL.
“I am enthusiastic about what’s forward, and assured that with Brian’s management we’ll proceed to develop the tour in ways in which profit everybody who loves this sport.”
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