Jay Monahan to leave next year as PGA Tour turns to NFL exec Brian Rolapp as new leader
CROMWELL, Conn. (AP) — Jay Monahan is leaving the PGA Tour next year after a decade that ends with a league fractured by the Saudi riches of LIV Golf, turning it over to top NFL executive Brian Rolapp in a new role as CEO.
Rolapp, the chief media and business officer for the NFL and a key executive for Commissioner Roger Goodell, was introduced Tuesday as CEO, a position that had never existed in the tour's six decades of existence.
Advertisement
'Players are central to everything we do, and making sure they are supported and heard will be a top priority,' Rolapp said in an open letter. 'At the same time, we are going to keep challenging ourselves to grow the game in new ways, reach new fans, and create a tour that reflects the future of sports and entertainment.'
Monahan announced last December the search for a CEO. Still unclear was Monahan's role until the announcement of Rolapp.
Monahan will shift his day-to-day responsibilities to Rolapp and focus more on his position on the PGA Tour board, along with the commercial PGA Tour Enterprises board, through 2026.
Rolapp was introduced two days after the U.S. Open, one of four times a year all the best players are together.
Advertisement
Monahan, who guided all of golf through the COVID-19 pandemic, was criticized for not taking a meeting with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia when it wanted to invest in golf with a team component.
LIV Golf began in June 2022 and lured away over the next two years Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson.
Monahan and two board members, Jimmy Dunne and Ed Herlihy, then secretly met with PIF leadership and reached an agreement in late May 2023 that was geared toward bringing golf back together. That infuriated PGA Tour players who stayed loyal.
The framework agreement was never finalized. The PGA Tour and PIF are still negotiating on an investment deal, and not even President Donald Trump could smooth the way after a meeting in February.
Advertisement
'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. With Brian's expertise and vision, and the trust we've established with our players and fans, I'm more confident than ever in the future we're building.'
___
AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
King and Queen welcome Peter Phillips' girlfriend to Royal Ascot
The King and Queen enjoyed a day at the races as they welcomed the girlfriend of the Princess Royal's son to the royal fold. Charles and Camilla hosted guests in the royal box on the first day of Royal Ascot including the King's nephew Peter Phillips and his partner, NHS nurse Harriet Sperling. She made an appearance for the first time in the carriage procession the royal family make onto the famous Berkshire racecourse to signal the start of the day. The royal procession is celebrating its 200th anniversary, a tradition begun during the reign of George IV in 1825 when the monarch was accompanied by the Duke of Wellington. The King and Queen rode in the first carriage with Prince Faisal, a member of the Saudi royal family, and Lady Sarah Keswick, one of the Queen's official companions. Behind them travelled the Princess Royal with Camilla's sister Annabel Elliot and the Duke and Duchess of Wellington and they were followed by a coach carrying Anne's son Peter Phillips and his girlfriend. Other royals spotted among the crowds included Princess Beatrice and her mother Sarah, Duchess of York and Zara and Mike Tindall. The head of state and his wife have continued Queen Elizabeth II's close association with the Berkshire race meet but they had no luck with the sport of Kings when their horse Reaching High was well beaten in the Ascot Stakes. The late Queen was a passionate owner and breeder of thoroughbreds and had more than 20 Royal Ascot winners during her 70-year reign. Charles and Camilla have taken on her stable of horses and enjoyed their first Royal Ascot winner in 2023 when their horse Desert Hero triumphed in the King George V states.
Washington Post
24 minutes ago
- Washington Post
New PGA Tour boss: World's best golfers should compete against each other
Brian Rolapp begins his new job as CEO of the PGA Tour intent on appeasing golfers, fans, sponsors and media partners alike. So it's no secret what the top of his to-do list looks like: Resolve the lingering conflict with LIV Golf and its Saudi benefactors and somehow draw together a bitterly divided sport.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Panthers can clinch a 2nd consecutive Stanley Cup championship by beating the Oilers in Game 6
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Panthers can win the Stanley Cup for the second year in a row by beating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the final on Tuesday night. Their first chance to clinch the franchise's second championship comes at home after a dominant performance in Game 5 at Edmonton. Advertisement 'It's a great opportunity,' forward Matthew Tkachuk said. 'Our fans have given us so much love and support and momentum this year that they deserve this type of game at home.' Since opening night of their title defense, the Panthers have won 32 of 50 games at their arena on the edge of the Everglades. Their NHL-record-tying success of winning 10 on the road this playoffs has allowed them the opportunity to close out the Oilers at home. 'We don't really try to think where we are, where we play, but obviously it's fun to be at home — have the home energy, have the home crowd, and be able to play in front of them,' center Anton Lundell said. 'I'm sure it's going to be a loud building, and we're looking forward to it.' Last year, they lost their first try on the road, then let two more slip away before finishing it off in Game 7. Players believe going through that steeled them for what is in front of them now. Advertisement 'Everything we've kind of gone through, we just have more experience, so you get a little bit more comfortable in the situation,' forward Evan Rodrigues said. "Whenever you can gain experience and feel like the moment's not bigger than it is, it helps and it helps the nerves and, yeah, you just go out and play your game.' That is captain Aleksander Barkov's thought process, eschewing the past for a focus on the present. "Experience helps with that kind of stuff, but the most important thing is to stick with your game," Barkov said. "That's the thing. You don't need to change anything. You need to just be as good as possible. And that's been our whole mindset all playoffs: Every next game, you have to be a little better than the previous game.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
