PGA Tour power shift underway with commissioner Jay Monahan moving on soon
The PGA Tour is undergoing a power shift at the top.
GOLF.com reported on Monday that the tour plans to 'sunset' commissioner Jay Monahan at some point before the end of next year with incoming CEO Brian Rolapp taking over his power after a transition period.
Monahan has faced criticism for his handling of LIV Golf, with the rebel league taking some of the biggest names in the sport away from the PGA Tour.
Monahan initially took a hard stance on LIV, essentially banning any player from the PGA Tour who left for the huge guaranteed contracts being handed out by the Saudi-funded league.
Jay Monahan congratulates Rory McIlroy after winning The Players Championship in March 2025.
Getty Images
Then, in June 2023, he shockingly announced a deal with PIF — the financial arm of Saudi Arabia — and revealed that a framework of a deal was in place that could possibly merge LIV and the PGA.
Two years later, there is still no official deal, and Monahan has provided sparse details when asked about it during his limited media availabilities.
'I think anything that I've said or we said, the three of us said, is consistent with what should be said when you're in the middle of a complex discussion to try and reunify the game of golf,' Monahan said in March, per GOLF.com. 'It doesn't speak to my confidence level. It speaks to the moment. I view that meeting as a huge step and so I look at that very positively. We had a recent meeting with the President, the Public Investment Fund, thought it was a constructive meeting.
'And we're thankful for the President for his leadership, extremely thankful for him, for his willingness to host us in the Oval Office, and to help us continue those conversations. I feel like if you look at his commentary last week as ultimately seeing a deal happening and Yasir Al-Rumayyan's comments at the FII about the good meeting that we had, I think we'll just continue to move forward on those conversations.'
Brian Rolapp was recently named the CEO of the PGA Tour.
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
Barring significant progress in the coming months, it will now fall on Rolapp — who was previously a top executive with the NFL — to figure out how to get the biggest names in the sport competing against each other beyond the four majors.
'[Brian] is coming from a place where the biggest brands and the biggest stars compete against each other as much as possible in the most high-profile time slots on the biggest platforms to drive the most interesting viewership,' a network exec told GOLF.com. 'The Tour needs help in that regard.'
Monahan, 55, came to the PGA in 2008 after working at Fenway Sports Group and took over as commissioner in 2016 when Tim Finchem stepped down.
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Spaun, starting with the drive of a lifetime that set up a two-putt birdie to take the outright lead at Oakmont Country Club.
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PGA Tour Reveals Priceless Robert MacIntyre Reaction on J.J. Spaun's US Open Victory originally appeared on Athlon Sports. J.J. Spaun's dream run ended with a championship at Oakmont Country Club as he captured the 2025 U.S. Open in the most challenging circumstances. Despite a nightmare start — five bogeys in his first six holes — Spaun dug deep after a rain delay and delivered an epic comeback. He drained birdie putts from 40, 22 and an outrageous 64 feet, sealing the win with a clutch putt on 18. Spaun closed the day at one-under par, the only player to finish under par. Advertisement 'It's a dream weekend scenario ... to have my two kids here is just awesome – the cherry on top!' he said, celebrating Father's Day with his wife, Melody, and daughters, Emerson and Violet. Robert MacIntyre hits his tee shot at the third hole during the second round of the RBC Canadian Open golf Hamilton-Imagn Images While Spaun celebrated, the man he edged out, Scotland's Robert MacIntyre was left stunned. MacIntyre had played brilliantly with a two-under 68, setting the clubhouse lead at one-over par and watching from the scorer's room, hopeful. But when Spaun's monster putt dropped on the 18th, cameras caught MacIntyre's reaction, mouth wide open in disbelief, followed by a classy round of applause. The PGA Tour shared the moment on social media, and fans couldn't get enough of the sportsmanship. Upon this reaction PGA Tour wrote, "Class act" on X. MacIntyre might have said "Wow," on seeing Spaun's performance. Though denied the win, the Scotsman proved his mettle on one of golf's toughest stages. Advertisement It was a fitting end to a dramatic major weekend: wild weather, pressure-packed moments and genuine emotions both on and off the course. And in the middle of it all? Two pros who showed the world what class looks like. Related: J.J. Spaun Proudly Represents His Parents' Filipino and Mexican Heritage This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
